...-^ 


X. 


^M- 


l.    \ 


Xitl 


u 


ijU.. 


FURNITURE   OF  THE   PILGRIM   CENTURY 


4» 


FURNITURE 

of  the 

PILGRIM   CENTURY 

1620-1720 

INCLUDING   COLONIAL    UTENSILS 
AND  HARDWARE 

BY 

WALLACE    NUTTING 

ILLUSTRATED  fVITH  ONE  THOUSAND  PHOTOGRAPHS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 
HITHERTO  UNPUBLISHED 


OLD    AMERICA    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 
FRAMINGHAM  y  BOSTON 


COPYRIGHT- 192  I 
BV    WALLACE    NUTTING 


All  rights  reserved 


I4i>'?0 


I3E     PLIMPTOS     PRESS 
NORWOOD- MASS-D-SA 


Library 

^40  6 


^ 


To 

HENRY  WOOD  ERVING 

WHO    EARLY    DISCERNED   THAT   THE 

STRENGTH    AND    BEAUTY    OF 

PILGRIM    FURNITURE 

WAS    AN    EXPRESSION    OF 

PILGRIM    CHARACTER 


CORRECTIONS  AND  ADDITIONS 


PACE 


22     Owner:  Mr.  Harry  V.   Long  of   Cohasset. 

40     Owner:  Mr.  Chauncey  C.   Nash. 

86     The  chest  is  painted   reddish  brown. 
106     The  box  at  bottom  of  page  is  owned  by  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney. 
138     A  cupboard  in  this  style,  but  with  drawers  below,  willed  by  Gov. 

Thomas  Prince  of  Plymouth,  is  now  owned  by  the  author. 
165     Left  hand  cupboard.     Owner:    Mr.   Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
169     A   beautiful   walnut  cupboard,   in   the   former   Nutting  collection. 

174     A    pine    cupboard,    carved.       Owner:     Mr.     Sherwood    Rollins, 

Boston. 
188     A  transition  Brewster  Chair,     Owner:    Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend, 

205  and  206     The  owner  states  the  hnials  are  not  cut  off  at  all. 

206  and  207     The  chair   is  now  known  to  be   Italian. 

223     Mr.   Nash's   and  Mr.  Brown's   names  should   be  transposed. 

263     Rung  at  bottom  in  front,  is  not  original. 

276     The   left  hand  chair   is   not   larger   than   usual. 

284     Chair  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 

304     Owner:    Mr.  Chauncey  C.   Nash. 

311     Last  line:   Read:    "a  spit." 

320     Owned   by  Mr.   Chauncey   C.   Nash. 

335     Octagon  Gothic  chair  table  of  pine.     American.     Found  at  Free- 
port,  Maine. 

338     Last  line:    Read:    "Some  apply  it  to  a  small  chest." 

347     The  Sudbury  Communion  Table.     Now   owned   by  the   author. 

352     Read  "home"   instead  of  "hearth"   in  line   beginning,  "Since   men 
etc." 

378     Trestle  table,   at  right.     Owner:    Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 

451     Trestle  table  is  owned  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend. 

457     Candle  stand  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
483     Chest  owned  by  Mr.  Cieorge  Eastman,  Orange,  N.  J.     Initials  are 
for   Elizabeth   Allis.     Chest   made   for   her   by   her    father,    Capt. 
John  Allis  of  Hadley. 
500     For  "Hill"  read  "G.  W.  Hunt." 


FOREWORD 

'T^HE  interest  in  native  wood  early  furniture  is  of  recent  growth.  Many 
-*■  persons  who  formerly  collected  Sheraton  types  have  gone  farther 
back  through  the  Hepplewhite  period,  through  the  Chippendale,  to  the 
Dutch  period,  and  of  late  not  a  few  persons  collected  only  Americana,  by 
which  term,  applied  to  furniture,  is  meant  not  merely  furniture  made  in 
America,  but  made  also  of  native  woods. 

The  spirit  of  patriotism  stirred  by  the  great  war,  has  stimulated  interest 
in  the  work  our  fathers  left.  The  study  of  American  furniture  has  only 
recently  reached  the  point  of  recognizing  how  desirable  is  the  handiwork 
formed  of  local  materials,  as  modified  from  foreign  styles  by  the  exigencies 
of  the  colonists.  The  late  Empire  furniture  has  acquired,  without  reason, 
in  New  York  at  least,  the  epithet  Colonial.  We  should  do  what  is  possi- 
ble to  relieve  our  early  fathers  of  the  responsibility  for  such  productions. 
Nothing  is  colonial  that  follows  1776,  and  so  far  as  concerns  those  who  de- 
sire to  be  correct  the  Colonial  name  should  not  be  applied  to  any  furniture 
later  than  Chippendale. 

But  what  did  the  second  generation  of  settlers,  and  to  some  extent  the  first 
generation,  have  as  furniture  ?  This  fascinating  question  has  begun  to  call 
to  us  until  thousands  ask  it.  This  book  is  the  efi^ort  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion, and  hence  nothing  is  shown  here  that  was  not  or  could  not  have  been 
made  in  America  before  the  time  of  the  cabriole  leg,  except  the  gateleg 
table,  a  style  which  continued  half  way  through  the  eighteenth  century; 
and  pine  cupboards,  which  for  the  sake  of  completeness,  are  shown  to  the 
close  of  their  period. 

No  comparison  can  be  made  between  the  rich  productions  of  England 
during  the  seventeenth  century  in  furniture,  and  English  books  about  it, 
with  American  furniture.  A  compendium  such  as  is  easy  to  produce,  full 
of  copies  indiscriminately  made  of  English  and  American  pieces,  is  no 
longer  satisfactory.  This  book  shows  few  pieces  of  furniture  that  have  been 
illustrated  before,  except  in  some  instances  of  fuller  restorations  of  pieces 
previously  shown.     This  statement   is  made  with  trembling  because  no 

[vii] 


one  can  be  absolute  in  knowledge  of  this  kind.  The  main  feature  of  the 
book,  however,  is  that  most  of  the  examples  here  shown  were  until  recently 
unknown. 

The  author  is  indebted  to  many  persons  for  information  and  for  the 
privilege  of  photographing  their  rare  furniture.  The  names  of  these  persons 
will  be  credited  under  the  pictures  of  their  pieces  unless  an  owner  has  re- 
quested that  his  name  be  omitted. 

The  author  has  done  most  of  the  photographic  work  personally.  In 
reproducing  the  photographs  he  has  taken  care  where  possible  to  avoid  the 
serious  error  of  working  out  backgrounds — -a  thing  which  cannot  be  done 
successfully.  We  thus  have  a  richer  variety  of  early  American  work  than 
has  hitherto  been  attempted. 

The  objects  treated  in  this  book  are  so  confined  in  character  and  period 
that  it  has  been  thought  best  to  depart  from  the  usual  custom  of  showing 
ordy  museum  specimens.  Thus  very  many  simple  pieces  are  set  forth, 
and  even  slight  modifications  in  style  are  noted.  For  instance,  the  pine  cup- 
board, now  attracting  so  much  attention,  is  treated  by  the  exhibit  of  many 
quaint  little  examples,  which  twenty  years  since  would  have  been  scorned. 
The  same  attention  to  simple  articles,  possible  to  acquire  by  any  furniture 
lover,  has  been  given,  under  beds,  cradles,  chairs  and  utensils. 

A  few  pictures  including  human  figures  have  been  used.  This  was  neces- 
sary because  the  rooms  containing  the  furniture  are  dismantled.  The 
rooms  themselves  were  so  carefully  furnished  that  it  has  been  thought  im- 
portant to  show  them,  despite  the  figures. 

W.  N. 


[  vlii  ] 


J 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

J     Carved  Chests i 

Ornamented  Chests,  not  Carved 35 

Plain  Chests 44 

Chests  of  Drawers 59 

Chests  on  Frames 87 

Desk-  and  Bible-boxes 97 

/  Secretaries  and  Desks 112 

Court  and  Press  Cupboards 123 

J  Pine  Cupboards  and  Dressers 144 

^  Wainscot  Chairs 175 

Turned  Pilgrim  Chairs 182 

Later  Pilgrim  Chairs 208 

Carved  or  Caned  Chairs 234 

Banister-back  Chairs 258 

Children's  Chairs 276 

^   Miscellaneous  Chairs 281 

Stools  and  Crickets 285 

M  Couches,  Settles  and  Settees 293 

V   Cradles  and  Beds 314 

Chair  Tables 335 

Boards  and  Trestles 342 

V  Refectory  and  Library  Tables 345 

Gate-leg  Tables 362 

Butterfly  Tables 389 

Tavern  Tables 405 

Occasional  Tables  and  Stands 423 

Candle  Stands 45 1 

Miscellany 471 

^  Looking  Glasses 490 

•'  Clocks 522 

Utensils 526 

Hardware 540 

Index 581 


[ix] 


FURNITURE   OF   THE   PILGRIM   CENTURY 


^ssissse 


AN  Architectural  Chest.  Owner: 
Mr.  G.  H.  Buek,  East  Hampton, 
Long  Island. 

Mr.  Buek's  dwelling  is  that  made 
famous  as  the  inspiration  of  the 
poem,  "Home,  Sweet  Home."  The 
chest  was  discovered  by  Mr.  Buek 
in  his  neighborhood.  The  tradition 
is  that  it  was  brought  from  Lynn  in 
1649,  by  a  family  of  Osbournes.  It 
has  been  very  successfully  restored 
by  Mr.  Morris  Schwartz.  There  are 
two  end-to-end  drawers,  a  rare  ar- 
rangement. The  end  carving  is 
shown  in  the  second  picture.  There 
the  carving  is  from  the  solid,  and  the 
architectural  front  is  merely  imitated. 
Date  1640-1650. 


m 


AN  elaborately  carved  chest  belonging  to  Mr.  William  B.  Goodwin  of 
Columbus,  Ohio.  The  chest,  which  has  been  restored  by  Mr.  Morris 
Schwartz,  has  unusual  carving  on  the  stiles  and  top  rail  of  a  very  handsome 
character.  It  departs  from  the  conventional  foliage  pattern  which  appears 
on  the  bottom  rail.  This  rail  reminds  one  of  the  carving  on  the  torus  drawer 
of  court  cupboards,  on  page  126.    Date,  1650-70. 

Chests  were  the  first  furniture.  The  earliest  need  of  man  emerging 
from  barbarism  was  a  receptacle  for  valuable  belongings.  The  Hebrew  ark 
of  the  covenant  was  a  chest.  The  word  chest,  under  innumerable  forms, 
appears  in  our  earliest  literature.  The  carving  on  ecclesiastical  chests  was 
inspired  by  reverence  as  well  as  by  the  innate  necessity  of  man  to  express 
himself.  Chests,  as  we  first  know  them,  originated  in  Italy,  the  cradle  of  arts. 
The  English  chests,  our  direct  source  of  design,  were  brought  to  America 
more  often  than  other  forms  of  furniture.  They  were  transported  full  of 
valuable  goods  and  therefore  occupied  no  extra  cargo  space.  Further,  they 
were  the  most  cherished  articles  of  property. 


[-1 


A  CARVED  Three-panel  Oak  Chest,  owned  by  the  author. 

It  is  pecuHar  in  having  an  oak  paneled  top,  known  in  only  two  or  three 
other  American  chests.  This  feature  would  indicate  an  early  date  since  the 
earliest  chests  were  closer  imitations  of  the  English  than  the  later  chests. 

A  good  feature  is  the  scrolled  bottom  rail.  The  carving  on  the  inner 
stiles  is  also  very  uncommon  on  American  chests.  The  bottom  is  pine  but 
the  back  is  oak.     No  English  chests  containing  pine  are  known. 

The  origin  of  this  chest  is  not  definitely  traced,  but  it  is  presumably 
Connecticut. 

Size:  20x46  inches.    Hight  27^^  inches.     Date  1650-60. 

The  fact  that  a  chest  has  not  a  drawer  does  not  necessarily  indicate  an 
early  date,  yet  other  things  being  equal,  the  absence  of  a  drawer  tends  to 
throw  the  date  back.  The  earliest  chest  had  no  drawer.  The  later  chests 
occasionally  had  no  drawer,  but  the  second  and  the  third  drawer  mark 
the  approach  toward  a  chest  of  drawers.  Of  course,  all  carved  arches  on 
chests  represent  a  later  substitution  for  an  architectural  arch  such  as  ap- 
peared in  the  chest  on  page  i . 

This  remark  applies  to  the  lunettes  on  the  upper  rail  of  the  chest  before 
us  which  are,  of  course,  incipient  arches. 


[3] 


ya  .Ji^,JU>ii-«i«miiJi  m\}"  ■  u-Ji'^LKj^J 


■^      -  "mm.' 


A  CARVED  Oak,  Paneled  Lid  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Sey- 
mour of  New  Haven.  This  piece  is  pronounced  American,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  its  Hd  is  of  paneled  oak,  a  feature  which,  in  over  seventy  chests 
shown  in  this  book,  appears  in  two  cases  only.  The  date  is  therefore  very 
early,  1650-1660.  The  panels  are  carved  in  a  Runic  design.  The  lower 
rail  and  the  stiles  are  lightly  carved.  The  owner  thinks  the  carving 
incomplete,  which  we  might  question.  The  upper  stile  is  faintly  scratched, 
and  prepared  for  intersecting  lunettes. 

The  chest  was  found  in  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire.  It  is  now  in 
Wadsworth  Atheneum,  Hartford. 


These  chests  were  convenient  for  the  storage  of  biggins,  boot-haunches, 
crosscloths,  coifes,  demicastors,  leather  doublets,  forehead  cloths,  jerkins, 
kirtles,  masks,  portmantles,  ruffs,  safeguards,  swashes,  and  such  wearing 
apparel,  used  in  those  days. 


[4] 


•^^t 


AN  Oak  Chest.     Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.     Date:  1660-70. 

The  ends,  which  do  not  show,  are  in  single  panels.  Though  the  short 
stiles  are  plain,  the  end  stiles  carry  double  rows  of  "pencil  and  pearl"  carving. 
The  top  rail,  between  rows  of  pencil  and  pearl  ornament,  carries  a  scroll. 
The  bottom  rail  carries  one  row  of  the  pencil  and  pearl  ornament. 

The  top  is  oak. 

Size:  Length,  471^  inches;  hight,  265^  inches;  front  to  back,  20X  inches. 

To  a  student  of  structure  this  chest  is  as  good  as  any  to  illustrate  certain 
peculiarities.  The  molding  on  the  inside  edge  of  the  leg-stiles  is  worked 
from  the  solid,  apparently  after  the  parts  of  the  chest  are  assembled.  Thus 
this  molding  runs  out  to  nothing  at  the  top  and  bottom.  Again,  the 
bottom  rail  is  beveled  on  its  upper  edge,  under  each  panel,  which  is  not 
true  at  the  top  of  the  panels.  The  practice  in  this  respect  varied.  The 
till  at  the  top  of  the  chest,  at  one  end,  was  usually  of  pine,  and  generally 
framed  in.  The  back  posts,  projecting  as  they  did  beyond  the  back  top 
rail,  were  cut  away  for  an  inch  or  so,  at  the  top,  to  permit  the  lid  to  open 
and  to  stop  the  lid,  when  it  struck  the  shoulder  thus  cut  on  the  post.  Other- 
wise the  lid  would  have  been  wrenched  off  its  hinges. 


[S] 


"JiBlliaBi 


>u'iwuu,imi. 


AN  Oak  Four- Panel  Chest.     Date:  1660-70. 

The  decoration  of  the  top  rail  is  a  type  of  lunettes  and  reversed  lunettes 
which  we  see  also  on  the  next  page,  and  on  some  other  oak  chests,  and  one 
pine  chest  in  this  work.  The  letters  P.  W.  are,  if  our  date  is  correctly' 
estimated,  a  rather  early  instance  of  initials,  though  one  other  instance 
appears  on  the  ship  chest,  page  34,  as  early  as  this. 

It  is  a  striking  and  beautiful  chest.  The  laureling,  which  it  bears  on  the 
short  stiles,  resembles  that  on  the  author's  court  cupboard,  page  125. 
Also  that  on  the  chest,  page  3,  both  early  pieces,  close  to  English  influence. 
The  absence  of  a  drawer,  the  great  length,  and  the  careful  work,  all  support 
the  date  given. 

The  author  has  expended  a  great  deal  of  time  in  seeking  to  trace  the  source 
of  this  photograph. 

In  the  matter  of  initials  on  furniture,  they  appeared  in  England  in  some 
instances  very  early.  One  piece  bears  the  date  1533,  and  two  names, 
doubtless  those  of  a  husband  and  wife.  In  instances  also  the  faces  of 
husband  and  wife  appeared,  carved  on  the  panels. 

Such  chests  were  generally  made  to  order.  In  fact  most  other  furniture 
was  so  made.  That  is  what  gives  early  furniture  so  much  individuality. 
It  was  designed  for  the  house  into  which  it  was  to  go,  and  for  a  very  specific 
purpose.  A  philosopher  or  a  poet  might  start  a  train  of  reflection  or  senti- 
ment on  the  fact  that  the  furniture,  and  even  the  initials  survive  the  memory 
of  their  owners,  who  are  otherwise  lost  to  us. 


61 


AN  Oak  Four-Panel  Chest.  Owner:  William  G.  Erving,  M.D.,  of 
Washington.  Date:  1660-70.  It  is  54^4  inches  long;  2934  inches  high; 
22>^  inches  from  front  to  back, — perhaps  the  largest  no-drawer  chest  shown 
in  this  book. 

The  carving  is  as  unusual  as  the  size.  The  top  and  bottom  rail  are 
carved  like  the  top  rail  of  the  chest  on  the  opposite  page,  with  lunettes  and 
reversed  lunettes,  forming  shuttle  patterns.  But  the  long  stiles  carry  an 
extremely  rare  pattern,  difficult  to  define;  carvers  characterize  it  as  a  "spade" 
motive.  The  short  stiles  show  carving  like  an  inset  split-ball  turning.  The 
other  features,  on  end  and  front,  are  obvious. 

We  notice  that  the  bottom  rail  is  not  chamferea,  as  is  usual,  where  it 
meets  the  panels. 

This  chest  never  had  a  drawer,  but  not  a  few  chests,  on  careful  exami- 
nation, show  that  a  drawer  is  missing.  Sometimes  the  supports  are  en- 
tirely removed,  but  some  trace  of  a  framed  rail  for  the  drawer  to  rest  upon 
can  always  be  found,  generally  in  the  form  of  a  rabbet  on  the  back  stile. 


[7] 


AN  Oak  Three-Tulip- Paneled  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Sey- 
mour. Date:  1660-80.  In  having  no  drawer  this  Connecticut  chest 
shares  in  honor  with  the  more  usual  design,  with  sunflower  center  panel, 
on  page  12.  The  design  carrying  three  tulip  panels  is  unique,  so  far  as 
now  known. 

It  is  47  inches  long;  26  inches  high;  19  inches  from  front  to  back.  The 
new  top  should  have  been  pine,  not  oak.  It  is  otherwise  original.  It  was 
found  in  the  Capt.  Charles  Churchill  House,  Newington,  Connecticut, 
nearly  forty  years  ago.  At  that  time  it  stood  on  end,  and  was  in  use  as  a 
harness  cupboard. 

A  Connecticut  Sunflower  Court  Cupboard  was  ejected  from  the  same 
house  to  "make  room." 


[81 


L.- 


AN  Oak  Tulip  Chest.     Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.     Date:  1660-70. 

Size:  Length,  49  inches;  hight,  32  inches;  front  to  back,  i8>2  inches. 

The  ends  have  three  panels.  The  tulip  design  carved  thus  all  over  the 
piece,  on  rails  and  stiles  as  well  as  on  panels,  is  very  rare.  It  reminds  us 
somewhat  in  this  respect  of  the  Hadley  Chest,  which  is  also  completely 
covered  with  carving. 

There  is  a  two-drawer  chest  in  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  in  this 
fashion  of  rail  and  stile  carving,  though  the  panels  are  more  like  the  tulip 
panels  of  the  "Sunflower"  chests.  These  are  important  and  early  examples 
of  chests.    It  is  hoped  that  more  of  them  may  be  discovered. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  no  moldings  appear  on  this  chest.  They  would 
be  an  over-enrichment,  and  insipid. 


[9] 


u^- 


A  PALM- PANEL  Chest.     Owned  by  the  author.     Date:  1650-70. 

Quite  generally  the  stiles  and  rails  of  oak  chests  are  ornamented  with  the 
shadow  molding,  as  here,  when  they  are  not  carved.  The  palm  carving 
was  early.  The  three  similar  chests,  which  have  come  to  the  author's 
attention  are  of  the  same  character  as  this  chest,  having  the  lunettes  on 
the  top  rail,  and  the  large  and  small  rosettes  on  the  drawer  fronts.  Mr. 
H.  W.  Erving's  has  two  drawers.  The  length  of  the  chest  above  is  52  inches; 
hight,  ^oj4  inches,  as  three  or  four  inches  are  missing  from  the  feet;  front 
to  back,  21  inches. 

The  lid  of  this  chest  in  pine,  is  a  little  too  narrow,  and  bevels  sharply, 
it  being  apparently  cut  from  a  slab,  and  left  full  width  on  the  lower  side,  to 
cover  as  well  as  possible. 

The  regular  number  of  lunettes  on  such  chests  is  five,  while  there  are 
seven  large  and  six  small  rosettes.  This  chest  has  a  three-panel  end. 
Mr.  Erving's  has  a  four-panel  end. 


[ID] 


AN  Oak  Tulip-Panel  Chest,  with  the  Connecticut  Cross  Panel,  from  the 
Henry  Stearns  Collection,  Hartford. 

This  chest  is  quite  like  that  on  page  13,  except  for  the  center  panel, 
where  the  cross,  so  characteristic  of  Connecticut  architecture,  is  substituted 
for  the  sunflower  panel.  Of  course,  the  large  oval  knobs  are  incorrect 
restorations  for  the  proper  original  small  knobs.  The  blocks  at  the  feet  are 
not  a  part  of  the  chest. 

The  ramifications  of  the  word  chest,  its  analogies  and  synonyms,  offer  a 
suggestive  by-path.  Aged  persons  often  pronounce  the  word  chist,  which 
follows  the  derivation,  and  was  probably  correct  at  one  time.  The  word 
is  almost  unchanged  from  its  Greek  form,  which  indeed  is  precisely  the 
Scotch  kist. 

The  coffer  ana  cassone  are  equivalents. 


[Ill 


A  CONNECTICUT  "Sunflower"  chest,  without  drawer,  owned  by  Mr. 
James  N.  H.  Campbell  of  Hartford.  We  arrive  in  this  chest  at  a  type  which 
has  without  sufficient  reason  come  to  be  more  sought  for  than  any  other 
chest.  As  all  these  chests  have  been  traced  to  Hartford  County  and  most 
of  them  to  Hartford,  there  is  a  strong  presumption  that  they  were  all  made 
by  one  man  and  his  successor  or  local  imitator.  Efforts  have  been  made  to 
trace  the  maker  but,  such  is  human  fame,  none  of  the  makers  of  our  earliest 
pieces  are  known.  The  characteristics  of  this  type  of  chest  are  a  sunflower 
stock  with  three  blossoms  and  foliage  as  the  center  panel,  which  is  always 
chamfered  at  the  corners  to  form  an  irregular  octagon.  The  side  panels 
are  conventional  tulips. 

The  no  drawer  type  is  very  rare  indeed.  There  may  be  in  all  some  fifty 
to  seventy  sunflower  chests  in  existence.  There  is  a  tradition  that  some  of 
them  came  from  England,  and  in  one  case  the  author  saw  an  inscription  on 
a  lid  giving  the  date  on  which  his  earliest  American  ancestor  brought  it  over. 
Against  this  tradition  there  is  the  insuperable  objection  that  the  bottoms 
and  backs  and  lids  of  these  chests  are  invariably  in  pine.  Lyon,  in  his  very 
accurate  work,  states  that  English  collectors  have  never  seen  an  English 
chest,  oak  and  pine  in  parts. 

Size:  44,' 4  inches  long;  24^^  inches  high;  18  inches  from  front  to  back. 
Date  1670-80. 


[12] 


A  ONE-DRAWER  Sunflower  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving. 
Date:  1660-80. 

Size:  44 >2  inches  long;  31  inches  high;  19 '4  inches  from  front  to  back. 
The  measurements  given  are  generally,  as  here,  on  the  frame.  Lids  usually 
overhang  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  front,  and  twice  as  much  at 
the  ends. 

The  lid  is  pine.  There  are  two  end  panels.  The  upper  end  panel  has 
beveled  corners,  and  four  small  bosses  around  the  central  boss.  The 
fashion  of  slanting  the  "turtle  backs"  or  bosses,  on  the  drawer  is  interesting. 
The  one  drawer  Connecticut  sunflower  chest  is  very  rare,  the  two  drawer 
pattern  being  more  numerous. 

While  the  name  "sunflower"  chest  has  been  bestowed  on  this  style,  it  is 
understood  that  there  are  always  side  panels  with  conventionalized  tulips. 


[13 


A  PANELED-LID  Oak  Child's  Chest.  Date  1670-1700.  Owner:  Mr. 
George  Dudley  Seymour.  It  is  the  only  miniature  chest  in  oak  of  this  date, 
so  far  found,  in  America.  The  front  rail  is  charred,  perhaps  by  rush  lights, 
a  common  thing  in  English  chests.  Hight,  14^^  inches;  lid,  12^/^  by  20^ 
inches.  The  miniature  chest  below  with  four  ball  feet,  and  double  arch 
mold,  belongs  to  J.  Milton  Coburn,  M.D.     Date:   1700-1710. 


[  14  1 


^./ite^i..  -(tiKmikiit^fi&fymf] 


A  TWO-DRAWER  Sunflower  Chest.  Date:  1660-1680.  This  specimen 
has  not  lost  any  considerable  portion  of  its  feet;  the  top  is  original  except 
the  cleats;  so  are  most  of  the  ornaments.  It  was  restored  many  years  ago, 
perhaps  forty,  by  Hartford  craftsmen,  inspired  by  the  interest  just  then 
awakened  by  Dr.  Lyon  and  his  friends. 

It  completes  the  series  of  sunflower  chests,  begun  on  pages  12  and  13. 
It  is  45  inches  long;  20>:(  inches  from  front  to  back;  40  inches  high;  legs, 
6  inches,  probably  never  more  than  6>2  inches.  There  is  an  interesting 
variation  in  the  carving  of  these  chests,  showing  the  individuality  so  dear 
to  the  collector.      Owner:  the  author,  who  bought  the  chest  near  Hartford. 


I  15] 


A  CARVED  and  Painted  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  M.  A.  Norton,  of 
Hartford.     Date,  shown  on  the  central  panel,  1704. 

This  chest  is  really  a  variant  of  the  sunflower  pattern,  with  the  sunflower 
left  out!  Instead  of  applied  spindles  and  chamfered  corners  on  the  drawers, 
we  find  painted  tulip  decoration,  thus  carrying  out  the  carved  tulip  design 
in  the  side  panels. 

This  chest  is  undoubtedly  later  than  the  pattern  shown  on  the  previous 
page,  of  which  by  the  way,  Mr.  Norton  has  two  examples. 

The  date  is  very  valuable.  It  is  very  seldom  found  on  chests,  except  in 
the  last  decade  of  the  17th  or  the  first  decade  of  the  i8th  Century. 


[16] 


A  ONE-DRAWER  Hadley  Chest.    Owner:  Mr.  Brooks  Reed,  of  Boston. 

In  this  chest  we  reach  a  style  in  much  request.  The  specimens  found 
are  in  one,  two  and  three  drawers;  the  one  drawer  style  being  extremely 
rare;  the  two  drawer  style  predominating;  and  there  are  but  two  known 
pieces  in  the  three  drawer  style. 

The  dates  run  from  1680,  or  more  certainly  from  1690  to  1710.  The 
material,  as  that  of  nearly  all  carved  chests,  is  oak,  with  pine  in  lid,  back, 
bottom  and  drawer  bottoms.  The  size  is  about  44  inches  long  and  19 
inches  "deep,"  that  is,  from  the  front  to  the  back.  The  hight  varies  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  drawers,  from  37  inches  upward.  The  chests  are 
almost  always  initialed.     The  crude  carving  varies  somewhat  in  pattern. 


[17] 


L_ 


A  HADLEY  Chest,  with  Full  Name.  Owner:  Mr.  Philip  L.  Spalding, 
of  Boston.     Date:  1690-1700. 

The  material  as  usual  is  oak,  with  pine  lid.  It  is  extremely  rare  that  a 
full  name  is  carv'ed  on  an  American  chest  of  this  date. 

The  piece  was  found  near  Deerfield,  about  19 16,  by  Dr.  Miner  of  Green- 
field, who  also  found  in  the  same  vicinity  the  three-drawer  Hadley  Chest, 
on  page  22.     The  condition  of  both  pieces  was  very  good. 


[18] 


AN  Oak  Hadley  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend,  Brookline.  Date: 
1690-1700.  A  very  beautiful  specimen.  Its  general  surface  is  the  soft 
age-worn  front,  so  pleasing  in  its  mellow  effect. 

Instances  are  known  of  the  absence  of  initials  on  Hadley  chests.  But 
usually  either  initials,  or  in  two  or  three  instances  a  full  name,  appears. 

Sometimes  a  Hadley  is  locked  by  passing  a  flat  bar  vertically  down  through 
a  slot,  just  inside  where  the  'scutcheons  would  otherwise  appear.  The  top 
is  then  locked,  and  all  drawers  are  secure. 

The  making  of  a  good  early  lock  was  no  small  part  of  the  labor  of  con- 
struction on  a  chest.  Most  locks  are  lost.  The  hinges  on  nearly  all  early 
American  chests  are  "pin,"  that  is,  cotter  pin.  The  so-called  chest  hinge, 
a  strap  with  an  offset,  is  seldom  seen. 


[19] 


^t^sti-m 


A  ONE-DRAWER  Hadley  Chest.  Date  1690-1700.  The  variations 
between  this  chest  and  that  on  page  17,  are  to  be  marked,  as  indicating 
that  the  designer,  while  following  in  general  the  style  of  carving  peculiar 
to  the  Hadley  chest,  did  not  confine  himself  to  slavish  copying.  For  in- 
stance, a  grotesque  head  appears  on  the  center  of  the  drawer,  page  17, 
whereas  here  a  different  motive  prevails.  This  chest  was  found  in  South- 
eastern New  Hampshire,  in  the  hands  of  an  owner  who  had  brought  it  from 
the  Connecticut  river,  in  Southern  New  Hampshire.  It  is  of  very  recent 
discovery  and  bears  out  the  uniform  source  of  this  class  of  chests — on  the 
Connecticut  river  section  of  Massachusetts.  Size:  4i}4  inches  long;  18^ 
inches  from  front  to  back;  35^4  inches  high.     It  is  owned  by  the  author. 


[  20 


A  TWO-DRAWER  Hadley  Chest,  owned  by  the  author.  Date:  1690- 
1700.  The  carving  here  differs  slightly  from  that  on  the  preceding  chest, 
especially  in  the  bottom  rail.  This  chest  is  in  a  remarkably  good  state  of 
preservation,  and,  in  this  particular,  it  stands  rather  high  on  its  legs. 
The  initials  here  are  H.  A.,  and  are  carved  in  the  conventional  style  on  the 
center  panel.  Size:  44  inches  long;  4234  inches  high,  and  1834  inches 
front  to  back. 

A  remark  of  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving  inquiring  in  1883,  if  a  certain  friend  had 
seen  his  "Hadley"  chest  apparently  originated  the  name.  Give  a  piece  of 
furniture  a  specific  name  and  at  once  you  enhance  its  desirability  to  many 
collectors.  We,  of  course,  absolve  Mr.  Erving  from  any  malice  afore- 
thought, as  no  one  had  then  discovered  this  tendency  of  the  collector. 

[21] 


^if's'^a 

F 

^^v  '^^^^''^BP 

■f  f^'^'^^W 

W-  ■ 

L 

A  THREE-DRAWER  Hadley  Chest,  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
The  only  other  Hadley  chest  known  with  three  drawers  is  in  the  Deerfield 
Museum.  It  will  be  seen  that  all  the  Hadley  chests  here  shown  with  two 
and  three  drawers  have  four  end  panels,  which  are  plain.  The  Hadley  chests 
were,  as  a  rule,  painted  in  black  or  red.  Of  course  the  carving  is  very 
simple.     Date,  1680-1700. 


^2] 


AN  Oak  Diamond-and-Arch  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  Date: 
1760-80.  Size:  Length,  453^  inches;  hight,  33,' j  inches;  front  to  back, 
19^  inches. 

An  elaborate  chest,  with  legs  of  unusual  length.  The  ends  have  three 
panels,  all  plain.  The  turned  incised  ornaments  at  the  sides  of  the  arch 
are  simple  but  effective.  The  number  of  features  on  this  chest  leave  little 
out  from  the  possibilities.  The  interesting  enumeration  includes:  drops, 
bosses,  nail-heads,  shadow  mold,  diamonds,  rosettes,  blocked  corners, 
turned  ornaments,  an  arch,  keystone  and  other  arch-structure  blocks,  and 
moldings  around  panels  and  drawer. 

The  question  of  correct  taste  in  chest  ornament  is  not  the  only  question 
as  regards  desirability.  Quaintness,  rarity,  odd  features,  even  the  over- 
doing of  some  features,  are  all  elements  entering  into  the  matter.  The 
historical  record  is  often  completed,  or  a  mooted  point  of  structure  or  decor- 
ation is  cleared  up  by  an  unusual  chest. 


[23] 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  Double-arched  Center  Panel.  Owner:  Mr.  M.  A. 
Norton.     Date:  1660-80. 

An  important  feature  of  this  chest  is  its  two  sets  of  end-to-end  drawers, 
scarcely  known  elsewhere.  The  double  arched  panel,  with  its  keystones 
and  capitals,  reminds  us  of  similar  details  on  court  cupboards.  The  pointed 
dentils  above,  and  the  three  lines  of  notched  carving  below  are  excellent, 
and  rare  features.  The  additional  decoration  afforded  by  the  pencil  and 
pearl  molding  renders  the  chest  very  rich 

The  feet  have  lost  somewhat  by  wear.  The  chest  was  found  in  Con- 
necticut, the  home  of  most  American  oak  chests.  It  had  been  for  many 
generations  in  the  family  from  which  it  was  purchased.  The  chest  opposite 
has  so  many  similar  features,  that  the  two  should  be  compared  carefully. 


[24] 


~1 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  Diamond  Center  Panel.  Owner:  Mr.  B.  A. 
Behrend,  of  Brookline.     Date:  1670-80. 

This  chest  has  the  rare  arrangement  of  two  drawers  end-to-end.  It  is 
enriched  by  pointed  dentils  under  the  lid,  and  by  three  rows  of  tooth  or 
notch  carving.  The  similarity  of  this  to  the  opposite  chest  make  it 
morally  certain  that  the  two  came  from  the  same  neighborhoods.  The 
principal  variation  in  style  is  in  the  center  panel.  Each  also  carries 
two  lines  of  molding  with  sets  of  duplicate  notches,  roughly  resembling  the 
pencil  and  pearl  motive,  which,  however,  is  absent  from  this  chest.  What 
we  have  called  pointed  dentils  are  nothing  other  than  the  immediate  juxta- 
position of  dentils  with  the  Norman  tooth  carving. 

It  may  be  presumed  that  the  infrequency  of  the  two  drawers  end-to-end 
was  the  greater  convenience  of  a  long  drawer  for  laying  clothing  with  fewer 
folds.  This  convenience  was  found  to  be  so  great  that  it  no  doubt  was  re- 
sponsible for  adding  drawer  on  drawer,  until  the  chest  disappeared,  and 
the  chest  of  drawers  alone  was  left. 


[25] 


-—  —  ■•■:3>1 


■■  -     ■^'--^>-i-a>-  .. 


AN  Oak  Three-Panel  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  Date:  1670- 
1680.  Size:  44  inches  long;  2^14  inches  high;  18  inches  from  front  to  back. 
The  foliated  scroll  on  the  center  panel,  with  the  initials  W.  B.,  differentiates 
the  chest  from  the  simple  three  panel  chests.  The  absence  of  a  drawer 
might  suggest  a  date  ten  years  earlier. 

The  chests  of  this  general  type  have  the  corner  blocks,  of  triangular  shape, 
painted  black.  The  shadow  molding  is  also,  as  a  rule,  black;  and  the  ap- 
plied ornaments  are,  we  believe,  uniformly  black.  These  last  are  generally 
of  maple,  but  sometimes  of  beech  or  pine,  or  perhaps  birch.  Fine  birch 
seldom  grows  as  far  south  as  Connecticut,  except  on  the  highlands.  These 
were  settled  later,  and  even  then  were  far  from  a  cabinet  shop  and  so 
precluded  an  extensive  use  of  birch. 


[26] 


A  SEVENTEENTH  Century  Carved  New  England  Oak  Chest,  owned 
by  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  Front  and  end  panels  of  oak,  original 
pine  lid.  The  Renaissance  carving  of  the  stiles  and  top-rail  is  perhaps 
copied  by  the  maker  from  the  copper-plate  frontispiece  fly  leaf  of  an  old 
Bible. 

Height,  26}4  inches;  width  of  top,  22H  inches;  length  of  top,  45  inches. 
Date  1650-1680.  The  chest  was  sold  many  years  ago  at  an  auction  of  the 
effects  of  Josiah  Herricks,  of  Antrim,  New  Hampshire,  and,  therefore, 
called  the  "Antrim  Chest." 

It  is  generally  understood  in  this  volume  that  the  lids  of  all  chests  and 
boxes  are  pine  unless  otherwise  stated.    Also  that  the  frames  are  oak. 

Chests  were  made  when  the  passion  for  solidity  ruled.  But  the  American 
could  not  resist  making  his  lid,  at  least,  of  pine,  not  merely  because  it  was 
readily  available  in  fine  wide  boards,  but  because  it  was  easy  to  work,  and 
to  lift. 


[27] 


A  THREE-PANEL,  Corner  Block  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving. 
Date:  1770-80,  Size;  50  inches  long;  333^  inches  high;  21J4  inches,  front 
to  baclc. 

This  chest  has  two  end-to-end  drawers  and  other  features  which  cause 
it  to  resemble  closely  the  chest  on  page  25. 

There  are  three  end  panels.  To  the  student  this  chest  is  very  effective 
with  its  numerous  black  blocks  and  drawer  fronts.  The  effect  of  the 
lighting  does  not  show  the  quartering  of  the  grain  of  the  left  panel. 

An  interesting,  possibly  desirable,  feature  is  the  half-leg,  turned,  super- 
imposed on  the  stile  leg,  and  not  fully  reaching  the  floor.  This  feature 
does  not  appear  on  any  other  chest  in  this  work. 

We  consider  the  tooth  carving  lends  a  marked  degree  of  strength  and  the 
feeling  of  great  antiquity. 


[28] 


A  CARVED  Oak  Chest,  with  Drops.  Owner:  Mr.  James  N.  H.  Camp- 
bell. Date:  1670-80.  Size:  Length,  48  inches;  hight,  37^^  inches;  front 
to  back,  20  inches. 

This  very  rich  front  exhibits  many  features,  which  are  too  clearly  shown 
to  require  full  description.  A  peculiarity  is  the  very  wide  bottom  rail.  The 
carving  between  the  rosettes  is  very  unusual.  So  also  are  the  four  little 
sections  into  which  each  side  panel  is  divided.  The  rosettes  are  carried 
out  even  on  the  feet,  and  foliage  is  carved  below  them. 


[29] 


'l«/.-\ 


■'^^Ss:, 


I 


M 


AN  Architectural  Chest  with  Four  Panels.  Owner:  Mr.  Stanley  A. 
Sweet,  New  York  City. 

This  chest  is  an  amazing  instance  of  individuality.  That  a  carver  should 
desire  in  1776,  the  plainly  original  date  of  this  chest,  to  copy  the  architec- 
tural arched  chest  of  at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  before,  certainly 
shows  a  decisive  and  independent  mind  in  the  maker.  He  was  not  satisfied 
with  a  simulated  arch,  but  must  needs  "do  it  right"  and  put  the  arch  into 
the  framing.  The  fine  scale-like,  lattice-like  tracery  on  the  stiles  and  the 
lower  rail  are  noticeable,  as  well  as  the  handsome  rosettes,  some  being 
"doubled."  The  brackets  are  very  striking.  The  same  repeated  S  scrolls, 
carried  around  the  arches  and  just  under  the  lid  are  seen  on  the  chest, 
page  5. 

Regarding  the  authenticity  of  dates  on  chests,  it  is  obvious  that  if  one 
had  desired  to  create  the  impression  of  great  age,  by  a  false  date,  he  would 
have  chosen  an  earlier  date  for  this  chest.  That  chests  are  sometimes  falsely 
dated,  we  are  certain.  Nor  is  it  always  easy  to  detect  the  fraud.  Experts 
in  carving  are  themselves  deceived  in  this  matter. 


[30] 


A  TWO-DRAWER  Carved  Pine  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend. 
Date:  1680-1700. 

This  is  the  earhest  and  best  pine  chest  that  has  come  to  our  attention, 
in  this  style.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  arched  grooving  is  like  that  of  the 
oak  box,  page  102.  The  lunettes  are  like  those  on  numerous  oak  chests. 
The  maker  apparently  loved  his  material,  but  strangely  did  not  copy  the 
legs  of  oak  chests,  but  followed  the  style  in  his  frame  of  the  six  board  pine 
chest.  It  is  hard  to  understand  the  three  hearts  carved  above  the  lunettes, 
so  as  to  interfere  with  them.  All  the  heavy  moldings  are  carried  around 
the  ends,  a  feature  which  is  perhaps  unique  in  pine.  This  chest  was  bought 
in  Boston,  but  found,  probably,  in  Connecticut.  The  discoverer  is  not 
living  to  verify  the  origin. 


[3M 


A  ONE-DRAWER  Carved  Pine  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  G.  Winthrop 
Brown.  Date:  1680-1700.  This  chest  like  the  preceding,  is  a  rare  speci- 
men. Its  drawer  was  pulled  by  reaching  under  the  front,  so  that  it  required 
no  knobs.  This  style,  which  omits  a  rail  below  the  drawer,  while  a  rare 
feature  is  nevertheless  present  on  some  of  the  oldest  cabinet  pieces  in  this 
work.  The  little  gouge  notches  cut  in  the  ends  of  the  front  boards  are 
often  seen  on  boxes,  cradles,  and  other  cabinet  pieces.  A  very  peculiar 
line  of  carving  under  the  large  lunettes  suggests  small  horizontal  arched 
flutings,  overlying  each  other. 

Altogether  we  have  here  a  series  of  carved  pine  chests  which  the  collector 
of  oak  may  hold  lightly,  but  which  are,  in  spite  of  that,  very  quaint  and 
very  important  in  the  history  of  furniture. 


[32] 


■-»•«<■''»-«»<!«— —BMWH^ 


\/'       ./' 


A  SIX-BOARD  Pine  Chest.  In  the  former  collection  of  the  author. 
Date:  1690-1710.  An  amusing  instance  of  quick  appreciation  in  values 
is  connected  with  this  chest.  It  passed,  within  seven  years,  through 
the  hands  of  two  of  the  best  known  dealers  in  antique  furniture,  at  a  very 
small  price.  As  it  was  the  first  carved  pine  chest  of  any  consequence  which 
either  had  handled,  they  failed  to  appreciate  it  properly. 

It  is  easy,  by  comparing  the  simple  carving  with  the  modified  lunette 
carving  on  several  oak  chests  in  this  work,  to  see  the  source  of  the  maker's 
motive. 

We  have  also,  bordering  the  carving,  the  arch  molding,  done  in  the  solid, 
which  was  usually  applied  to  the  chests  of  drawers  of  the  period .  The  writer 
knows  of  one  or  two  other  chests  with  difi^erent  carving  but  of  the  same 
plain  six-board  construction. 

The  central  sunflower  very  much  adds  to  the  effect.  We  have  seen  how 
popular  it  was  on  Connecticut  chests.  This  one  also  came  from  Con- 
necticut. 


[33] 


A  CAPTAIN'S  Six-Board  Sea-Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  George  F.  Ives,  of 
Danbury,  Connecticut.  Date,  appearing  in  three  places  on  the  front, 
1677.  Initialed,  M.  S.  The  term  ship  or  sea  chest  has  been  erroneously 
applied  to  chests  with  V  or  "boot-jack"  ends.  Sea  chests  are  always  low, 
to  prevent  the  danger  of  overturning.  They  could  not  have  legs,  owing 
to  the  manner  in  which  they  are  stowed  in  the  forecastle.  They  always 
have  backs  slanting  forward,  to  fit  the  ship's  side,  and  the  lid  is  conse- 
quently narrower  than  the  base. 

The  specimen  before  us  is  the  best  we  have  seen.  The  hearts  may  sug- 
gest an  early  date  for  the  chest  on  page  31.  Certainly  they,  with  the 
style  of  carving,  make  a  very  early  date  plausible,  and  even  probable. 

This  chest  has  the  usual  rope  handle. 

The  lid  measures  21  by  53  inches.     The  chest  is  19  inches  high. 

It  is  a  little  to  be  wondered  at  that  sailors,  who  are  fond  of  carving,  did 
not  oftener  expend  their  talents  on  ship  chests.  But  if  we  begin  to  wonder 
at  what  was  not  done  in  early  furniture  our  field  will  be  too  wide.  It  is 
even  more  wonderful  that  the  present  day  sees  so  little  real  taste  exhibited 
in  furniture. 

Pine  is  not  the  best  material  for  carving.  Late  architectural  carving 
was  often  done  in  pear  wood,  the  favorite  medium  of  Grinling  Gibbon. 
The  best  wood  was  one  with  a  hard,  fine  grain.  Oak  itself,  while  the 
classic  material  for  Gothic  carving,  is  not  susceptible  of  the  daintiest  cut- 
ting. 


[34] 


AN  Oak  Two-Drawer  Chest  with  Drops.  In  the  MetropoUtan  Museum. 
Date:  1660-80.  The  desire  for  variety  led,  in  the  usual  fashion,  to  the 
difference  in  moldings  seen  on  the  two  drawers.  The  diamond  blocks  are 
effective.  The  curious  triangular  blocks  just  below  the  lid  are  an  oddity. 
The  favorite  motive  of  stopping  the  heavy  molding  by  returns  on  the  front 
is  seen  here  in  perfection. 


[35l 


H 


A  CHEST  with  Drops.  Owner:  Air.  G.  Winthrop  Brown,  Brookline. 
A  two-drawer  chest  with  single  panel  ends.  The  decoration  is  extremely 
rare.  The  motive  of  the  fronts  of  chests  always  tended  to  straight  lines. 
In  this  case  we  have  a  series  of  curved  moldings. 

There  are  four  ball  feet.  The  chest  bears  initials,  A.  D.  Date:  1680- 
1700. 

The  drops  are  also  rare  in  form.  The  long  drops  on  the  leg  stiles  are 
symmetrical  from  their  centers,  like  turnings  in  the  stretchers  of  chairs. 

It  is  a  feature  of  ball-foot  chests  that  their  base  molding  runs  around 
the  end  as  well  as  the  front.  This  may  or  may  not  be  true  of  stile-foot 
chests. 


[36 


HEAVY  Two-Drawer  Ball-foot  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  Brooks  Reed. 
Date:  1660-70. 

The  heavy  effect  of  this  chest  suggests  its  early  date.  The  habit  of  sim- 
ulating drawers  in  the  front  of  the  chest  part  proper  shows,  however,  that 
at  the  time  this  chest  was  made,  complete  chests  of  drawers  were  well 
known.  The  back  legs  are  stiles.  Later  chests  with  ball  feet  were  more 
likely  to  have  the  four  feet  alike. 


[37] 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  Drops.  Owner:  Mr.  Harry  Long.  Date  1670-1680. 
This  chest  is  peculiar  in  having  its  stiles  run  down  below  the  base  molding 
before  the  balls  are  attached .  It  has  the  appearance  of  a  chest  on  which  ball 
feet  are  out  of  place,  but  the  feet  appear  to  be  original.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  some  restorations  have  been  made,  in  the  interest  of  ornament, 
using  ball  feet  where  a  plain  stile  was  originally  used. 

On  pages  61  and  66  there  are  also  stiles  running  below  the  body  of 
the  chests  before  the  ball-feet  are  attached.  We  do  not  consider  this 
feature  a  merit. 

The  reader  will  notice  the  entire  absence,  on  the  ends  of  chests,  of  long 
drops  on  the  stiles.  The  makers  were  content,  at  most,  with  affixing 
bosses  in  the  end  panels,  though  sometimes  even  these  are  omitted.  Chests 
were  often  so  placed  that  the  ends  were  not  prominent,  and  so  not  im- 
portant. 

The  embossed  central  square  on  the  panels  is  a  pleasing  feature,  and  the 
chest  altogether  is  very  attractive.  As  restored,  the  moldings  are  in  red. 
We  err  in  supposing  the  color  decoration  of  early  furniture  was  quiet.  It 
was  brilliant  in  the  extreme.  The  old  reds  which  we  admire  are  merely  the 
result  of  age. 


[38] 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  AppUed  Ornament.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving. 
Date:  1680-1690. 

This  chest  shows  no  very  marked  variation  from  some  that  have  preceded 
it,  except  that  we  have  now  passed  out  of  the  carved  styles,  and  shall  find 
only  such  decoration  as  variations  in  moldings  and  in  applied  turned  pieces 
can  supply.  The  moldings  on  this  chest  are  of  Spanish  cedar.  There  are 
two  panels  in  the  ends.  The  triglyphs,  which  appear  here  in  numbers,  give 
a  strong  series  of  vertical  lines.  Size:  45^  inches  long,  33  inches  high,  zo}4 
inches  from  front  to  back. 

It  has  not  hitherto  been  mentioned,  but  the  reader  will  have  seen  that 
oak  chests  were  made  of  riven  lumber,  and  therefore  they  almost  uniformly 
show  the  quarter  grain.  This  is  sufficient  ornament  in  itself.  In  fact,  we 
count  it  a  defect  that  carving  should  ever  appear  on  any  except  plain  oak. 


[39] 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  Applied  Ornaments.  Owner:  In  the  former  Wallace 
Nutting  Collection;  then  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash;  then  by  an  owner 
unknown  to  the  writer.  It  is  marked  by  very  handsome  quartering,  appar- 
ently left  free  of  ornament  on  the  top  rail  to  show  its  beauty.    Date:  1670-90. 

At  the  top  of  the  next  page  is  a  chest  of  oak  owned  by  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney 
of  Boston  and  Weston.    It  is  wisely  left  in  the  rough.    Date:  1660-70. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  page  opposite  is  an  oak  chest  owned  by  Mr.  H.  W. 
Ervnng.  It  has  the  characteristic  shadow  moldings  strongly  emphasized. 
The  end  panels  are  varied  with  blocks,  forming  short  armed  crosses.  It 
has  two-panel  ends.  It  is  43  inches  long,  31  inches  high,  and  is  20W  inches 
from  front  to  back. 


[40] 


[41] 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  AppHed  Ornaments.  Owner:  Mrs.  Hulings  Cow- 
perthwaite  Brown,  of  Boston  and  Brookline.  A  chest  with  interesting 
ornaments,  inherited  from  the  Waters  Estate.    Date:  1670-90. 

On  page  43,  at  the  top,  is  a  chest  belonging  to  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  It  has 
three-panel  ends.  It  was  made  as  seen  with  no  rail  under  the  drawer.  Its 
date  is  1660-80.  It  is  4.S/2  inches  long,  24)2  inches  high,  the  feet  having 
been  shortened,  and  18J4  inches  from  front  to  back. 

A  chest  at  the  bottom  of  page  43,  belonging  to  Mr.  H.  \V.  Erving,  has 
pine  panels,  with  the  usual  oak  frame.    There  is  a  one  panel  end. 

Date:  1670-80.  It  is  41-^4  inches  long,  28J4  inches  high,  and  i8i<  inches 
from  front  to  back. 

Chests  should  not  be  judged  in  this  book  by  the  space  accorded  to  them. 
The  exigencies  of  space,  with  so  many  specimens,  must  be  apparent. 


[42] 


[43] 


AN  Oak  Chest,  with  Chamfered  Feet.  Date:  1670-90.  It  is  47  inches 
long,  29  inches  high,  and  20]4  inches  from  front  to  back. 

The  shadow  mold  is  the  only  ornament  on  stiles  and  rails.  The  student 
will  easily  discern  that  the  panel  mold  at  the  top  and  on  the  outside  stiles 
is  worked  in  after  the  panel  is  put  together,  whereas  the  similar  mold,  on  the 
inner  stile,  is  worked  before  assembling  the  panel.  The  reason  is  easily  seen. 
A  miter  was  avoided;  yet  the  general  effect  was  preserved. 

The  chamfering  of  the  legs  seems  original,  though  why  it  should  have 
been  done,  it  is  hard  to  say,  as  no  one  would  now  suppose  any  use  or  beauty 
was  conserved.    Owner:  the  author. 

With  this  chest  we  pass  from  the  ornamental  panel  to  simpler  fashions 
coincidentally  with  the  short  and  delightful  excursion  in  painted  decoration 
which  arose  about  1700,  and  continued  perhaps  twenty  years,  in  a  very 
limited  territory.  Of  course  the  plain,  or  nearly  plain  oak  chest  was  used 
by  all  sorts  of  persons,  as  to  worldly  condition.    It  is  sufficient  to  show  a  few. 


44 


^^J^lSf,-; 


AN  Oak  Chest  v/ith  Painted  Pine  Panels  and  Painted  Drawer-Front. 
(Branford,  Connecticut.)  The  oak  carcass  of  the  chest  is  painted  black, 
evidently  in  imitation  of  the  contemporary  English  imitations  of  lacquer 
work  brought  into  England  from  the  far  East.  The  end  panels  are  painted 
in  a  thistle  design  while  the  central  panel  is  dated  1705-6.  The  painting 
is  much  plainer  as  seen  on  the  chest  than  in  the  photograph.  There  was 
a  tradition  of  painting  furniture  in  the  shore  towns  of  Connecticut,  includ- 
ing Branford,  Guilford,  Madison,  and  extending  up  the  Connecticut  River 

to  Middletown.  The  chest  is 
now  in  the  Wadsworth  Athen- 
eum,  Hartford.  Mr.  George 
Dudley  Seymour,  owner.  Date: 
1 690- 1 700. 

The  little  chest  at  the  bottom 
of  this  page  is  painted  in  very 
effective  decoration,  but  the 
photograph  does  not  bring  out 
its  features.  The  chest  is  owned 
by  the  Metropolitan  Museum, 
Date  about  1700. 


Us] 


F 


A  ONE-DRAWER  Oak  Chest.  Owner:  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney.  Date 
1660-80. 

The  striking  feature  is  the  extraordinary  repetition,  above,  below  and  on, 
the  drawer-front,  of  the  same  molding.  We  cannot  deny  it  is  very  effective. 
The  motive  is  that  found  on  the  choicest  sheathed  paneUng  of  our  earhest 
houses.  The  same  idea  is  carried  out  on  the  top  rail.  The  stiles  show,  on 
each  side,  a  triple  bead  which  also  appears  at  the  top  and  the  bottom,  that 
is  on  the  rails,  above  and  below,  the  drawer.  The  top  of  the  panels  is 
chamfered,  on  the  rail  as  well  as  the  bottom^a  rare  feature.  Mr.  Blaney's 
other  numerous  pieces  have  previously  figured  in  works  on  furniture.  We 
seek  to  show,  almost  entirely,  what  has  not  hitherto  been  made  public. 

On  page  48  are  two  miniature  pine  chests,  made  to  go  together.  Owner: 
Mr.  Geo.  D.  Seymour.  They  are  in  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum.  Date: 
1710-20. 


[46 


A  SIX-BOARD  Single-Drawer,  Whitewood  Chest,  with  front  paneled 
in  the  Jacobean  manner.  Formerly  in  the  collection  of  George  Dudley 
Seymour.  Now  owned  by  Miss  Mary  Miles  Lewis  Peck,  of  Bristol,  Con- 
necticut. An  heirloom  of  the  Lewis  Family,  of  Farmington.  Found  in 
Bristol,  Connecticut,  an  offset  of  the  town  of  Farmington,  by  Mr.  Seymour 
about  1895. 

The  panels  are  painted  black,  as  well  as  the  incised  moldings  in  the  rails 
and  stiles.  The  applied  moldings  are  painted  red.  A  peculiarity  in  this 
chest  is  the  running  of  the  molding  on  the  outside  stiles  down  through  the 
width  of  the  drawer.  The  central  block  of  the  panels  is  very  thick,  protrud- 
ing far  beyond  the  face  of  the  chest.      Date  1700-20. 

In  1920  Mr.  Seymour  found  another  six-board,  single-drawer  Whitewood 
chest  in  Bristol  of  the  same  style.  The  two  chests  are  so  much  alike 
that  they  appear  to  have  been  made  by  the  same  hand.  In  1920  the 
author  of  this  book  found  another  chest  of  the  same  character,  which 
piece  also  is  believed  to  have  come  from  Connecticut.  These  three  chests 
are  all  that  have  come  to  light  thus  far  of  this  style. 


[47] 


i^ 


aat:^    *■' 


mmmm^ 


f^ 


c- 


[4S] 


ABOVE  is  a  pine  chest,  owned  by  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown.  Date, 
1710-20.    It  has  pleasing  lines. 

Below,  on  the  left,  a  miniature  chest  in  pine.  It  is  1634  inches  high;  the 
top  is  ig  X  13  inches.  On  the  right  is  another  little  chest  in  pine.  It  is  20 
inches  high;  the  top  is  23  x  13^4^  inches.  Both  are  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey 
C.  Nash.    Their  date  is  1710-20. 


*^'*«IS':a.is»  »!«(«. 


CTlLj 


! 


I49I 


i 

I 

L 

. .___        „.^ 

___..--_-,, 

r 

r 

4' 


■l- 


A  TURNIP-FOOT  All  Pine  Chest.    Owner:  the  author. 

The  single  arch  mold  suggests  the  date:  1690-1710. 

The  small  chest  below  is  a  six  board  pine  chest,  dating  about  1710. 


50 


ON  the  right  is  a  little 
chest  with  painted  decor- 
ation of  a  very  fine  type. 
It     is     owned     by     Mr. 
Chauncey  C.  Nash.   The 
upper  drawer  is  treated 
as  a  unit  with  the  chest 
section,  in  the  decorative 
motive.    The  lower  draw- 
er   has    birds,    probably 
doves,  in  addition  to  the 
floral  design.    The  single 
arch  molding  gives  us  a 
date,  with  other  consid- 
erations,   between     1700 
and    1710.       This    chest 
belongs    with    the  small 
class   with    this    decora- 
tion, found  in  the  south 
central  portion  of   Con- 
necticut, sometimes  as   framed,  at   other  times  as  board  chests  or  chests 
of  drawers.     Of  course  the  framed  chests  are  more  important,  as  they  are 
also  more  rare. 


THE  little  ball-foot  chest 
below  is  owned  by  Mr.  Arthur 
W.  Wellington  of  Boston  and 
Weston.  Date:  1700-10.  The 
miniature  chest  is  always  ap- 
pealing. Whether  is  was  made 
for  children,  or  to  place  above 
another  piece,  for  specially  val- 
uable belongings,  we  do  not  al- 
ways know.  Doubtless  it  was 
at  times  put  to  both  uses.  This 
chest  is  pine. 

It  is  often  the  case  that  the 
front  feet  are  balls,  while  be- 
hind the  board  end  is  carried 
down. 


%a»^ 


[51] 


^M» 

Hi 

^pK^Sy^M 

p 

^ 

SiPi.        "^ 

"^r 


\ 

'--* 


A  PAINTED  Chest  of  Whitewood.  The  property  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, in  the  Stone  House,  at  Guilford.  These  decorated  pieces  are 
mostly  in  whitewood,  otherwise  called  tulip  wood,  with  pine  in  parts.  The 
whitewood  front  presented  a  finer  grain  for  painting  than  oak  or  pine. 
The  frames  are  oak.  A  goose  painted  on  the  end  panel  gives  this  piece  its 
name  of  Goose  Chest.  The  outside  scroll  does  not  differ  much  from  other 
examples  in  this  book.  The  design  on  the  upper  panel  shows  a  handsome 
vase  of  flowers.    Compare  pages  51,  45,  62,  63  and  74. 

Within  a  triangle  whose  north  apex  is  Middletown,  east  apex  Madison, 
and  west  apex  Branford,  all  these  pieces,  together  with  the  whitewood 
chests  shown  or  mentioned  on  page  47,  have  been  found. 


[52] 


A  PAINTED  Chest,  with  Two  Drawers.  Owner:  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives. 
Date:  about  lyco.     Size  of  lid:  20  by  42  inches.     Hight  of  chest,  40  inches. 

This  chest  belongs  to  the  class  shown  on  page  74,  and  elsewhere.  But  the 
design  is  different  from  the  thistle  and  crown.  To  give  room  for  a  handsome 
spray  between  the  drawer  panels,  the  latter  were  set  very  far  apart. 

There  is  a  large  tulip  on  the  ends,  as  on  page  62,  and  the  whole  design  is 
very  attractive, 

The  feet  are  missing,  which  is  not  so  noticeable,  as  owing  to  the  unusual 
hight  of  the  chest,  the  proportion  is  well  maintained. 


53 


A  SMALL  Painted  Chest.    Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.    Date:  about  1700. 

When  purchased  the  chest  was  entirely  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of 
brown  paint  which  had  been  on  for  many  years.  On  carefully  removing  this, 
the  figures  all  came  out,  and  have  simply  been  touched  up  line  for  line,  with 
absolute  fidelity.  One  interesting  fact  brought  out  is  preserved  to  us  by  this 
protective  coating  of  paint.  That  is  the  brilliancy  of  the  coloring.  It  is 
often  imagined  that  the  colors  on  decorated  pieces  were  soft.  They  were  in 
reality  quite  strikingly  bright,  almost  painfully  so.  Some  of  the  parts  of  the 
color  on  this  chest  were  unbelievably  red. 

As  retraced  the  fascinating  little  chest  teaches  us  much.  The  background 
appears  black,  but  is  a  few  shades  off,  rather  green-black.  The  thistle 
blossoms  and  buds  and  the  crown  are  the  most  intense  and  varied  centers  of 
color. 

Size:  2SJ4  inches  long,  i6>c4^  inches  from  front  to  back,  19  inches  high. 
The  overhang  of  the  lid  is  Jg  of  an  inch  in  front,  and  i  ^'2  inches  at  the  ends. 
The  material  is  whitewood.    The  origin  is  south  central  Connecticut. 


[54] 


^'Zy?kj^^ 


.-*-iit>.:y^"..-. ■''■:- 


AN  Oak  Six-Board  Chest.  Owner:  Koopman's,  Boston.  This  example 
shows  the  gouged  notches  at  the  ends  of  the  front,  and  a  mold  at  the  joints 
of  the  boards  of  the  front,  similar  to  that  on  the  earliest  sheathing. 

The  chest  was  the  one  indispensable  piece  of  furniture  in  an  old  civiliza- 
tion or  in  a  new  country.  Men  could,  and  did  for  ages,  eat  from  a  board. 
They  sat  on  the  chest.  They  could  sleep  on  the  ground,  and  did,  even  in  a 
highly  civilized  country,  taking  up  their  beds,  that  is,  rugs,  and  marchingon. 
Or  they  slept  on  a  chest.  So  the  chest  is  the  central  symbol  of  house  fur- 
nishing. It  was  the  repository  of  treasures,  the  emblem  of  family  dignity; 
the  object  of  bequest  by  will,  more  than  any  other  property.  It  was  the 
first  effort  at  joineiy,  and  the  last  achievement  of  art.  Among  nomads, 
where  it  was  set  down,  there  was  home;  when  it  was  taken  up,  the  march 
followed.    It  was  the  family  ark. 

Romance,  tragedy,  the  joy  of  the  bride,  the  last  memory  of  a  long  dead 
owner,  all  gathered  about  a  chest.  The  poorest  could  have  something 
that  was  called  a  chest.  The  wealthy  or  the  devout  summoned  craftsmen 
to  put  forth  the  best  powers  of  their  cunning  and  their  genius  upon  this 
symbol  of  family  importance,  or  churchly  devotion. 


[55] 


A  CHEST  in  pine  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  This  piece  should  be 
compared  with  the  wardrobe  of  pine  and  whitewood,  owned  by  the  same 
person,  on  page  145.  Doubtless  the  reason  why  chests  of  this  character  are 
very  rare  is  that  at  the  period  of  wall  panel  work  in  pine  the  chest  had,  for 
the  most  part,  passed  out  of  style.  For  this  very  reason  the  piece  before  us 
is  of  the  more  interest  with  its  numerous  panels  which  are  raised,  and  with 
its  bracket  feet,  which  do  not  go  with  any  of  the  chests  that  precede  this. 
Somewhat  is  lost  from  the  feet,  perhaps  an  inch. 

The  question  of  the  date  of  pine  paneling  is  mooted.  The  best  antiqua- 
rians who  study  houses  place  it  at  1720.  It  would  therefore  hardly  be  pos- 
sible to  name  a  much  earlier  date  for  this  piece.  There  is  in  Mr.  Geo.  F. 
Ives'  collection  a  room  of  paneling  into  a  side  of  which  a  secretary  is  built 
with  the  same  panel  work  as  that  used  in  the  walls,  and  resembling  this 
chest.    The  date  is  agreeable  to  that  already  named. 


The  increased  demand  for  labor  doubtless  works  against  artistic  develop- 
ments in  furniture.  If  the  Indians  had  been  hurried  they  would  never 
have  thought  out  the  designs  in  fabrics  which  are  now  sought  after. 
Beautiful  and  worthy  work  doubtless  requires  also  a  higher  appreciation 
than  it  now  receives  from  the  American  public.  As  a  politician  must  die 
before  he  becomes  a  statesman,  an  artist  or  an  artisan  is  seldom  a  genius 
so  long  as  he  is  with  us. 


56 


A  SEVENTEENTH  Century  Ship  Model.    Owner:  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives. 

It  stands  on  a  decorated  chest  with  slender  legs.  Owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  bringing  out  the  red  and  black  decoration  we  do  not  attempt  to  show  the 
chest,  merely  using  it  to  serve  as  a  base  for  the  model.  Those  who  know, 
state  that  every  rope  on  an  ancient  ship  is  shown  here.  It  is  all  original 
requiring  no  restoration.  The  very  sharply  cocked  bowsprit,  and  the  high 
poop,  are  peculiar  to  ancient  vessels.  The  subject  of  ship  models  is  worthy 
of  extended  treatment,  which  it  receives  elsewhere,  and  we  can  hardly  enter 
farther  into  the  subject  in  a  work  of  this  scope. 

The  chest,  by  the  way,  on  its  high  legs,  is  said  to  have  been  placed,  as  now, 
at  the  foot  of  a  bed,  to  hold  extra  bed  coverings. 


[57] 


esi,- 


A  SIX-BOARD  Pine  Chest.  The  panel  work  is  cut  from  the  solid.  The 
original  coat  of  red  paint  is  in  place.  Date:  1700-20.  Owner  of  this  and  the 
chest  below:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  Origin:  Capt.  Chas.  Churchill 
House,  Newington.  Below  is  a  chest  on  shoes.  The  scratch  carving 
running  around  the  front  is  discernible  on  the  left  end.    Date:  1710-20. 


57  •*  ".    ' -■  ■  ■  :■;  mf. 


[58] 


AN  Oak  Chest  of  Drawers  owned  by  the  author, 
amount  of  ornament  appHed  to  chests  and  chests  of 
Century  drew  to  its  close,  is  no  doubt  quaint,  but  is  a 
the  more  artistic  types  of  the  i6th  Century.  Yet  we 
fathers,  in  that  they  did  what  they  could,  and  eagerly 
which  their  children  do  not,  always.  The  decorations 
to  need  rehearsal  In  the  text.  Date  1680-1700.  It 
and  433^  inches  high — -a  large  article. 


The  extraordinary 
drawers  as  the  17th 
distinct  decline  from 
love  the  work  of  the 
groped  after  beauty, 
are  shown  too  clearly 
is  46  by  2134  inches 


[59] 


AN  All-Pine  Chest  of  Drawers.  Owner:  Koopman's,  Boston.  This  piece 
is  probably  within  the  limits  of  the  17th  Century.  The  little  gothic  arches 
into  which  the  feet  are  cut,  and  the  character  of  the  drawers,  incline  us  to 
date  it  about  1690,  for  the  single  arch  molding  may  go  back  to  that  time. 
The  discovery  of  the  piece  is  said  to  have  been  made  in  Maine.  It  is  odd  in 
having  all  the  drawers  alike.  It  is  a  question  of  taste,  on  which  there  might 
be  a  difference  of  opinion  whether  a  piece  is  more  attractive  in  this  form,  or 
with  a  variety  in  the  drawer  fronts. 


[60] 


A  CHEST  of  Four  Drawers.  Owner:  the  author.  Date:  1690-1700. 
There  is  one  heavily  embossed  panel  at  the  end.  Size:  39K  inches  long,  38 
inches  high;  ig^i  inches  from  front  to  back. 

The  top  and  bottom  drawers  are  blocked,  that  is,  they  protrude  beyond 
the  body  of  the  piece,  and  match  the  end  panel. 

The  feet  are  flattened  balls,  sometimes  called  onion  feet.  They  are 
strikingly  odd  from  being  set  on  extended  stiles.    Origin:  Connecticut,  again! 


[61 


zn^ 


.:^^^JAi 


A  DECORATED 
Chest  of  drawers, 
shown  from  two  posi- 
tions on  this  and  the 
following  page.  Owned 
by  the  author.  The 
tulip  design  of  the  end 
view  is  very  bold  and 
is  practically  the  same 
at  as  the  end  of  the 
Davidson  highboy, 
page  74,  where  the  re- 
flection prevents  its 
being  well  shown. 

A  half  dozen  articles 
of  furniture  in  this  de- 
coration have  come  to 
light  very  recently. 
They  are  in  whitewood 
which  is,  otherwise, 
and  properly,  called 
tulip  wood.  It  is  rather 
commonly  foundin  New 
England,  but  structur- 
ally, in  old  furniture, 
it  seems  mostly  to  have 
been  confined  to  articles 
made  about  1700.  Thus 
the  three  chests  like 
1  '"  '  ••.  l1  that  on  page  47  are  in 

tulip  wood.  This  ma- 
terial shows  little  grain 
and  less  color,  and  is  a 
semi-hard  wood.  It 
had  no  beauty  unless 

.^^■fc- -    - :^^^ .^^      decorated.     The   front 

of  this  piece  shows  a 
different  design  for  each  drawer,  and  the  lines  are  very  delicate.  On  the 
two  drawers  at  the  top  an  excursion  in  portraiture  appears,  the  faces  having 
vines  issuing  from  the  lips.  They  are  in  flat,  light  color,  and  make  us  wish 


[62] 


<■  TS^.!adfl^:'«A£3»''^ 


that  the  decorator  had  not  essayed  his  skill!  The  coloring  of  the  tendrils 
is  nearly  white.     That  of  the  rest  is  in  shades  of  yellow,  old  red,  pink,  etc. 

Some  original  handles  remain.  The  drawers  are  of  the  heavy  early  con- 
struction and  are  made  with  side  runs,  a  fashion  which  went  out  about  1700. 
The  body  is  19  by  42  inches;  it  stands  43  inches  high.  The  author  has 
spliced  the  feet  about  three  inches.     It  is  otherwise  original. 

The  decoration  while  a  little  worn,  is  better  and  In  a  better  state  ot  preser- 
vation than  we  remember  having  seen  elsewhere. 

Date  about  1700. 


[63] 


AN  Oak  and  Walnut  Chest  of  Drawers.  Date:  1690-1700.  The  carcass 
is  33  inches  high,  36  inches  long,  22  inches  front  to  back.  The  molding 
projects  to  give  an  over-all  length,  both  top  and  bottom,  of  39  inches. 

Top,  half  inch  walnut.  Frame  and  end  rails,  oak;  the  end  panels  plain 
pine,  there  being  two,  one  above  the  other,  sunken,  with  perfectly  plain 
rails  and  stiles.  Drawer  fronts  pine,  covered  with  H  inch  walnut;  and  all 
moldings  walnut.  The  posts  are  2  by  i}^  inches.  The  two  wide  drawers 
are  blocked.  The  drawers  have  the  grooved  side  runs.  The  piece  was 
bought  in  the  rough,  by  the  author,  in  Boston,  1921,  and  is  in  his  collection. 
The  feet  were  missing.  Added,  they  are  five  inches  high,  which  length  is 
conservative.  We  notice  a  tendency  during  the  latter  years  of  the  17th 
Century  to  construction  in  walnut,  and  to  smaller  posts.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  feet  the  chest  is  practically  original. 


[64] 


A  CHEST  of  Drawers  in  Walnut,  owned  by  the  author.  It  is  somewhat 
smaller  than  the  average  chest  of  drawers,  being  38/4  by  21  inches,  and 
23/4  inches  high.  It  has  undergone  some  repairs  and  the  handles  are  not 
original.  It  is  low  enough  to  satisfy  the  modern  taste  for  a  dressing  case. 
A  very  interesting  and  unusual  feature  is  the  series  of  small  panels  on  the 
stiles.  They  add  not  a  little  to  the  appearance.  They  are  instead  of  the 
usual  applied  half  spindles.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  first  and  the  third 
drawers  are  alike;  also  the  second  and  the  fourth — a  familiar  arrangement 
adopted  for  variety's  sake. 

The  date  is  difficult  to  determine.  If  we  say  1 680-1 700  we  shall  not 
greatly  err. 


[65] 


^■A-4ar.yApj.J,^jt:».;g|W'^^.»g^..»VfCt»>-^^^^  f.-^^^^y.^ 


AN  Oak  Ball-Foot  Chest  of  Drawers.  Date:  1680-90.  The  center  panel 
of  the  top  drawer  contains  the  initials  "R.  B."  while  the  center  panel  of  the 
drawer  below  contains  the  initials  "A.  P."  The  ends  of  the  chest  contain 
two  panels  separated  by  the  returned  ends  of  an  applied  molding  extending 
between  the  two  upper  and  two  lower  drawers.  The  other  applied  moldings 
between  the  drawers  extend  only  to  the  outer  edges  of  the  stiles.    The  ball 

feet  should  be  compared 
with  those  on  page  61. 
Mr.  George  Dudley 
Seymour,  owner. 

Below,  is  a  chest  of 
drawers  the  picture  of 
which  is  furnished  by  Mr. 
H.V.Weil,  of  New  York 
City,  who  owned  it  at 
onetime.  Let  us  say  here 
quite  emphatically  that 
none  of  the  pictures  in 
this  book  are  made  to 
scale.  This  piece  is  larger 
than  it  appears.  The  end 
panel  is  blocked  like  those 
on  pages  61  and  56. 


[66] 


AN   Elaborately  Paneled  Chest  of  Drawers.     Owner:  Mr.  Brooks  Reed. 

Date:  1680-90. 

Features  to  which  one  should  attend  are  the  blocking  of  the  top  and 
bottom  drawers,  the  difference  in  the  depth  of  the  drawers  and  the  system 
of  moldings  on  the  end  panel  to  enhance  the  blocked  effect.  Compare 
with  central  blocks  on  chest,  page  38.  Compare  also  the  panels  formed  on 
the  stiles  by  moldings  with  the  author's  chest  of  drawers,  on  page  65. 


[67] 


OAK  and  Pine  Chest  of  Drawers.  This  piece  has  effective  ball  feet.  The 
drawers,  including  the  moldings,  are  of  pine.  The  drop  handles  are  very 
unusual  and  pleasing.  The  termination  in  a  ring  is  a  device  graceful  in  itself 
and  convenient  in  use.  The  rosettes  behind  the  drops  match  well  the  hand- 
some 'scutcheons. 

In  the  former  collection  of  the  author.  Owner:  Mr.  I.  Sack.  Date 
1 690- 1 700. 

The  transition  from  the  chest  of  drawers  with  decorative  moldings,  to  a 
plain  front,  doubtless  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  coming  in  of  the  high- 
boy, which  used  decoration  of  another  sort.  The  legs  were  elegantly  turned, 
and  veneer  of  an  elaborate  character  supplanted  the  molded  front.  There 
was  a  gain  in  the  filling  of  wall  space.  But  the  modern  return  to  the  chest 
of  drawers  shows  it  a  more  convenient  piece  of  furniture. 


[68] 


AN  Oak  Two-Part  Chest  of  Drawers.  Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley- 
Seymour.  The  two-parts  are  separable  on  the  medial  line,  which  should  be 
covered  by  a  molding,  over  the  joint,  but  was  not  so  covered  when  the  chest 
was  found  in  the  rough  state.  The  brasses  are  in  part  original.  The  piece 
was,  so  it  is  said,  brought  into  Boston  to  sell,  from  Dedham.  It  was  put  in 
order  by  Patrick  Stevens,  then  employed  by  Robbins  Bros.,  of  Hartford. 
Date:  1660-70.    Hight,  56^:4'  inches;  the  top  is  20}i  by  3834  inches. 


[69] 


A  MINIATURE  Chest 
of  Drawers.  Photograph 
furnished  by  Mr.  H.  V. 
Weil,  who  owned  the 
piece.  The  handles, which 
of  course  are  of  the  usual 
size  for  a  large  chest  of 
drawers,  display  very 
quaintly  the  comparative- 
ly small  size  of  the  draw- 
ers. It  is  such  pieces  as 
these,  so  rare,  so  appeal- 
ing, that  make  the  quest 
of  antique  furniture  what 
it  is.     Date:  1690-1700. 


Below  is  a  miniature 
pine  chest  of  drawers: 
Owner:  Mr.  Harry  Long. 
In  the  moldings  we  have 
the  style  of  a  somewhat 
earlier  time.  The  pine 
feet,  being  part  of  the 
end  board,  give  a  date 
perhaps  as  late  as  1700-10. 

These  little  pieces  are 
sometimes  called  child's 
furniture.  They  may 
have  been  so  intended, 
or  they  may  have  stood 
on  larger  chests  of  draw- 
ers, to  store  small  articles 
of  the  wardrobe. 


70] 


stmzosa 


i^^milik^^.dk.tii ; r:  iir 


f'-^'-' 


V 


1 


►< 


\ 


) 


^igf/mmitlKtf&^lfim^mmsf  ^-i^u^w^RitW 


.ipiiiwi* ijl"'.!!' 


A  TWO-PART  Oak  Chest  of  Drawers.  Owner:  J.  Milton  Coburn,  M.  D., 
South  Norwalk.    Date:  1670-90. 

The  apphed  ball-turned  molding  is  a  most  mteresting  feature.  There  is 
the  not  unusual  arrangement  of  decorative  moldings,  whereby  the  second 
and  fourth  drawers  are  more  elaborate  than  the  first  and  third;  and  in  this 
case,  as  frequently,  deeper  than  the  others. 

Handles  on  furniture  in  America,  as  the  end  of  the  17th  Century  ap- 
proached, were  sometimes  wooden  knobs,  always  small  in  diameter,  and 
to  be  differentiated  from  the  19th  Century  knob — and  sometimes  brass  drop 
handles.  The  brass  gradually  supplanted  the  wood  on  the  finer  pieces.  But 
in  the  case  of  tavern  tables,  and  other  simple  articles,  the  small  wooden 
knob  persisted  to  the  middle  of  the  i8th  Century. 

[71] 


ON  pages  73-85  appear  a  series  of  high-boys,  called  in  England  tall-boys,  or 
high  chests  of  drawers.  While  these  are  impressive  from  their  size,  and 
offer  good  opportunity  for  the  display  of  veneer,  and  of  style  in  turnmg,  they 
are  somewhat  ungainly,  their  very  name  being  a  sly  poke  at  their  awkward- 
ness. The  period  we  treat  here  excludes  the  "bonnet  top".  Highboys  began 
as  flat  tops,  logically,  as  they  were  simply  chests  of  drawers  on  legs.  A  very 
few,  like  that  belonging  to  the  author,  on  the  opposite  page,  had  scrolled 
legs,  influenced  by  the  Flemish  style  of  chairs.  Most  had  turned  legs  in  the 
trumpet  pattern,  clearly  shown  on  page  77,  and  modified  on  pages  74  and  75 
to  a  cup  and  ball.  There  were  usually  four  legs  in  front  and  two  behind,  all 
connected  by  a  scrolled  stretcher,  which  followed  the  contour  of  the  arches 
on  the  frame  above. 

The  material  was  usually  a  walnut  veneer,  varied  by  solid  wood  pieces 
like  the  oak  specimen  on  page  73,  the  butternut  on  page  76,  or  by  pine  or 
maple,  as  in  specimens  shown.  On  page  74  we  have  an  extraordinary  exam- 
ple in  decoration,  reminding  us  of  the  similar  crown  and  thistle  work  on 
pages  62  and  63.     It  is  owned  by  Mr.  James  Davidson,  of  New  London. 

The  early  example  on  page  75,  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash,  shows 
the  heavy  frame,  considerably  larger  than  the  top,  a  feature  of  importance 
for  very  early  styles.  This  piece  is  also  a  five-legger,  and  the  frame  is  without 
arches.  The  brasses  on  these  pieces  begin  with  drops,  and  are  followed  by 
plates  and  bails,  a  style  which  is  found  in  a  considerable  number  of  instances 
as  early  as  1700.  The  earliest  highboy  here  shown  scarcely  goes  back  beyond 
1690,  and  the  latest  may  be  1720.  An  instance  of  an  ornamental  molded 
panel  is  known,  possibly  more  than  one.  These  examples  before  us  are  now 
shown  for  the  first  time. 

The  specimen  on  page  76  is  owned  by  the  author. 

Incidentally  the  highboy  on  page  73,  shows,  or  may  show,  the  origin  of 
the  heavy  Flemish  scroll  base  on  Victorian  furniture.  But  this  middle 
19th  Century  furniture  carried  the  scroll  into  huge  clumsy  proportions,  and 
applied  it,  in  many  cases,  to  the  frame  instead  of  making  it  a  part  of  the 
structure,  as  a  supporting  member. 

The  frame  of  the  highboy  on  page  73  extends  beyond  the  top.  This  is 
an  early  feature,  where  the  extension  is  so  considerable.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  frames  on  highboys  on  pages  73,  74,  and  75  have  the  single  long 
drawer.  This  feature  is  also  shown  on  the  pieces  on  pages  78  and  85.  The 
plain,  table-like  frame  suggests  an  earlier  period. 


[72] 


Jh^ '        ^; 

— i 

i 

-4 

i 

i 

1 

:  t 

1 

( 

1 

• 

r 

> 

■■  t 

1 

1 

-^=^- J 

A  FLEMISH-LEGGED  Highboy,  owned  by  the  author.  Mr.  James 
Davidson  also  owns  one,  and  another  exists  in  New  York.  This  piece  is  in 
American  oak,  even  to  the  backs  of  the  drawers.  The  curved  legs,  however, 
appear  to  be  bass  wood.     Date,  perhaps  1680-1700. 


[73] 


A  PAINTED  Highboy.  Date  1700.  The  end  does  not  show,  owing  to 
reflections,  the  large  single  tulip,  like  that  on  page  62.  The  decorative  scheme 
of  the  front  also  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  chest  of  drawers  on  page  63 . 


[74 


A  FIVE-LEGGED  Highboy,  owned  by  Mr.    Chauncey  C.    Nash.     A 
rare  specimen,  in  walnut,  practically  all  original.     Date  1690-1710. 


[75] 


[76] 


[77\ 


[78] 


[79] 


ON  page  77  is  a  rare  arrangement  of  highboy  legs,  following  the  usual 
design  of  the  corresponding  cross-stretcher  lowboy.  The  incipient  pair  of 
missing  legs  is  represented  by  the  acorn  drops.  One  should  note  the  thin 
flat  strip  which  lines  the  under  edge  of  the  frame  and,  by  a  slight  projection, 
forms  a  bead.  This  is  characteristic.  This  piece  is  in  walnut.  The  present 
owner  is  unknown.  It  was  in  the  former  collection  of  the  author.  Date: 
1700-10. 

On  page  78  is  a  specimen  in  herring-bone  walnut  veneer.  The  brasses  are 
good.  The  turning  is  not  as  delicate  as  the  preceding.  It  was  bought  by 
the  author  in  Boston,  and  taken  to  the  Webb  House,  Wethersfield.  Present 
owner  unknown. 

On  page  79  is  a  remarkably  good  curly  maple  effect.  It  is  the  property 
of  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  The  interest  centers  in  the  country-made  turnings, 
which  were  probably  done  from  memory.  The  turner  "did  himself  proud"  in 
the  drops,  not  stopping  short  of  seven  rings.    Date:  1700-20. 

On  page  81  is  the  most  perfectly  preserved  old  highboy  the  author  has 
seen.  It  is  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  Every  part,  including  every 
handle,  is  original.  The  veneer  is  in  fine  condition.  It  is  in  the  herring-bone 
pattern.  The  date  can  be  hardly  later  than  1690-1700.  The  frame,  below, 
is  38^  by  21^4  inches.  The  upper  part  is  36J2  by  20  inches.  The  total 
hight  is  61  inches,  and  outside  measurement  on  the  table  mold  is  40}^ 
inches,  and  22 j 4  inches  from  front  to  back. 

The  piece  has  never  been  cleaned. 

The  highboy  on  page  83  is  the  only  one  we  have  seen  with  two  small 
end-to-end  drawers  over  the  central  arch.  On  page  76  there  is  no  central 
drawer,  also  a  rare  feature.  But  on  page  jj  we  find  two  small  drawers  on 
each  side  of  the  frame.  In  the  odd  piece  on  page  84,  there  are  two  abutting 
drawers.  The  conventional  type  is  supposed  to  have  three  drawers  in  the 
frame,  the  central  one  being  shallower  than  the  others  to  allow  for  the  arch 
under  the  frame.  These  variations  in  detail  have  no  little  interest  for 
collectors,  though  they  are  otherwise  more  curious  than  important. 

When  we  enter  upon  highboys  we  are  as  likely  to  find  them  in  Massachu- 
setts as  in  Connecticut,  which  is  supreme  in  its  oak  treasures. 


[80] 


[8i] 


A  HERRING-BONE  Walnut  Highboy.  Date:  1700.   Owner:  theauthor. 

On  the  next  page  is  the  fine  example  of  a  curly  maple  highboy  owned  by 
Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  Its  turnings  are  beautiful.  It  is  painted  black,  and  is 
in  all  respects  original.    Date:  about  1710. 

[82] 


[83 


A  SIMPLE  Highboy,  without  stretchers,  owned  by  Mrs.  E.  B.  Leete 
of  Guilford.  It  is  a  great  rarity.  The  leg  turnings  are  quite  like  those  of 
some  tables.  While  the  need  of  stretchers  on  highboys  is  apparent,  this 
piece  has  existed  without  them  since  about  1720. 


[84] 


A  SIMPLE  Five-legged  Highboy,  owned  by  Mr.  I.  Sack.  Its  17th 
century  turnings  suggest  tavern  table  legs.  It  is  a  piece  of  much  interest. 
The  single  arch  mold  suggests  1690-1700  as  the  date. 


[85] 


THE  ORIGIN  and  purpose  of  little  chests  on  frames  is  hazy.  They  are 
close  cousins  to  the  boxes  which  follow.  Besides  the  descriptive  name  they  are 
also  called  Pilgrim  Chests  and  Desk  Boxes  on  Frames.  Their  size  would 
indicate  their  probable  use  for  more  precious  contents  than  were  placed  in 
the  great  chests,  but  as  the  tops  were  always  flat  they  could  scarcely  have 
been  used  for  writing  purposes,  unless  one  stood  while  at  work. 

The  same  impulse  which  brought  in  the  highboy  was  evidently  at  work 
to  bring  in  the  box-on-frame,  that  is,  greater  convenience. 

The  charm  of  the  piece  we  are  considering  lies  in  the  obvious  artistic 
impulse  that  created  it.  Undoubtedly  it  was  a  labor  of  love,  constructed 
with  ingenious  care  and  thought,  stimulated  by  an  ambition  to  produce  a 
masterpiece.  All  the  little  refinements,  together  with  the  more  important 
features,  suggest  this  conclusion.  The  popular  habit  of  naming  all  chests 
"dower  chests"  or  "hope  chests"  is  not  unnatural,  and  we  are  not  prepared 
to  say  that  most  chests  did  not  come  into  being  as  wedding  dowers.  It  was 
quite  the  thing  that  the  bride-to-be  should  find  it  useful  and  appropriate  to 
have  a  chest  of  some  sort  wherein  to  accumulate  the  various  stock  of  house- 
hold linen  that  she  would  require. 

The  one  drawer  which  always  appears  in  this  type  of  chest  was  convenient 
for  the  more  precious  or  the  smaller  articles. 

Until  a  recent  period  such  chests  were  exceedingly  rare  and  even  now 
there  are  perhaps  only  twenty  to  thirty  known.  The  notable  piece  next 
following  is  unique.  It  was  found  in  York,  Maine,  and  is  far  more  ornate 
as  well  as  earlier  and  quainter  than  any  of  its  humbler  brethren  on  the 
following  pages. 

Its  American  origin  should  not  be  challenged  as  it  has  pine  in  the  lid  and 
bottoms  of  the  frame  and  drawer.  Its  most  striking  feature  is  the  doubled 
stretcher  work  of  the  ball-turned  base,  a  markedly  good  design  for  strength, 
and  possibly  unique  in  this  respect  also. 

Another  astonishing  feature  is  the  beautiful  urn  turning  of  the  front 
posts  reminding  one  of  court  cupboards.  The  piece  is  in  an  unrestored 
state  and  therefore  shows  only  one  of  the  two  arches  of  the  side  panels.  The 
star  of  the  center  panel  also  originally  had  eight  points.  These  minor  marks 
of  years,  however,  only  endear  the  piece  to  us.  It  is  painted  black.  One 
may  hope  to  see  it  restored  ultimately,  as  the  somewhat  glossy  appearance 
it  presents  makes  a  good  picture  of  it  impossible. 

Date:  1670-90. 

The  fortunate  owner  is  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash,  of  Milton. 


[  86 


^i^M^^'i£^Ot'^!im^:<W''-i'-  i£^- ?■? 


?T^,J!*^.-^,,, 


AN  unique  little  chest-on-frame.  Owner:  Chauncey  C.  Nash.  Right 
36  inches;  length  27  inches;  depth  i8>^  inches.  Oak,  with  pine  lid  and 
drawer  bottom.     Date:  1660-90. 


[87] 


A  CHEST  on  frame  partly  restored.  Property  of  the  Wayside  Inn. 
Date:  about  1680.  The  sizes  of  all  these  pieces  are  about  the  same  as  that 
on  page  87. 


[88] 


I  " 


A  CHEST-ON-FRAME,  from  the  collection  of  Miss  C.  M.  Traver, 
New  York  City.  This  fine  specimen  is  in  its  original  condition.  It  is  a  ques- 
tion, mooted  among  antiquarians,  whether  these  chests,  with  square 
stretchers,  had  a  shelf  upon  them.  If  the  chest  opposite  this  is  correct 
the  shelf  must  have  been  original  as  the  applied  molding  on  the  bottom 
stretcher  laps  over  the  lower  edge  of  the  shelf.  Further,  there  was  a 
shelf  on  the  piece  above,  but  it  was  destroyed.     Date:  1670-90. 


[89] 


A  CHEST-ON-FRAME  owned  by  the  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design. 
The  foliage  decoration,  a  branch  of  delicate  sprays,  is  clearly  discernible. 
This  decoration  is  usually  in  black  on  a  red  ground.  These  simple  little 
chests  are  of  the  class  desired  because  of  their  size,  their  variety,  and  their 
merit. 

[90] 


PH**'*''i  ^  ^^^  '^-  *  <  > 


,-,f.v^  T,^  ?-™w»L"rf 


THE  description  of  this  chest-on-frame  appears  on  the  following  page. 


[91] 


ON  the  previous  page  is  a  good  example  of  the  decorated  panel  chest-on- 
frame.  It  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Arthur  W.  Wellington  of  Boston  and 
Weston.  For  the  most  part  the  decorations  are  in  colors  which  are  not 
picked  out  by  the  camera.    The  turnings  are  attractively  done. 

On  the  following  page  is  a  similar  piece,  but  with  a  deeper  drawer,  and 
with  decoration  which  shows  somewhat.  It  is  owned  by  Mrs.  F.  G.  Pat- 
terson, of  Boston,  and  is  further  described  on  its  page. 

Instituting  a  comparison  between  the  little  chests  here  shown,  we  may 
place  the  Nash  chest  in  a  class  by  itself.  The  others  are  divided  between 
decorated  chests,  with  turnings  below,  and  chests  with  carving  and  applied 
turned  decorations.  These  latter  are  the  older.  The  most  perfect  is  the 
chest  on  page  89,  which  is  unrestored. 

Most  or  all  of  the  chests-on-frames  originated  in  New  England,  within 
narrow  limits  from  southern  New  Hampshire  to  Cape  Cod.  They  are  a  type 
so  marked  as  to  attract  much  attention.  Many  collectors  have  never  seen 
one.  At  least  half  of  them  have  come  to  light  within  a  year,  as  their  dis- 
tinctive features  made  them  sought  as  soon  as  they  were  known  to  exist. 
They  now  hold  values  parallel  with  those  placed  on  large  spindle-decorated 
chests.  There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  between  the  two  styles,  with 
perhaps  a  slight  present  leaning  to  the  decorated  pattern. 

A  specimen  of  this  style  of  chests  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving 
has  the  spray  decoration  on  an  unpainted  panel,  and  is  fully  more  attractive 
in  method  of  application.  The  leafage  is  green,  the  stem  black.  Another 
specimen  of  the  style  in  the  possession  of  the  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design 
lacks  the  front  stretcher,  but  is  otherwise  very  admirable.  Mr.  B.  A. 
Behrend  owns  three  specimens.  Most  of  the  others  have  been  mentioned 
in  previous  works  on  furniture. 

We  lament  the  going  out  of  style  of  an  article  so  attractive  and  con- 
venient. It  certainly  adds  to  the  realism  of  a  family  about  to  be  insti- 
tuted to  have  one  receptacle  into  which  its  treasures  can  be  gathered. 
Around  such  a  piece  one's  heart  strings  twined.  It  was  the  symbol,  in 
substantial  form  of  the  greatest  social  institution,  and  held  that  proud 
position  until  the  cradle  supplanted  it. 


[92I 


A  CHEST-ON-FRAME  described  on  the  previous  page.  This  piece  is 
in  beautiful  condition  and  the  turnings  are  very  handsome — the  best  per- 
haps to  be  found  on  a  decorated  piece  of  the  kind.    Date  about  1700. 


[93] 


ON  the  next  page  is  an  oak  chest-on-frame,  which  differs  strikingly  from 
the  other  examples  we  show.  Its  back  legs  follow  the  style  of  the  court  cup- 
board, instead  of  being  turned  like  the  front  legs.  The  side  and  back  stretch- 
ers are  also  plain.  The  turnings  of  the  front  legs  and  stretcher  are  extremely 
rare,  being  what  we  may  call  the  reverse  of  the  ball  turning,  or  a  series  of 
turned  flutes,  into  which  a  ball-turned  piece  would  fit  exactly.  The  lid  is  of 
yellow  pine.  The  false  drawer  has  knobs  instead  of  the  usual  bosses.  The 
chest  is  36  inches  high,  and  the  frame  is  ^lYi  by  16  inches.  The  lid  over- 
hangs 3^4  of  an  inch  in  front,  and  1/4  inches  at  the  ends.  The  date  is  1680- 
90.    It  is  owned  by  the  author. 

On  page  96  is  an  example  of  an  all-ball-turned  chest-on-frame,  made  with 
painted  panels.  It  is  owned  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  Its  date  is  about 
1680-90.  The  frame  is  oak;  the  lid  pine.  It  is  peculiar  in  having  a  perfectly 
plain  drawer  front.  The  mold  on  the  rail  below  the  drawer  is  not  seen  on 
some  of  the  other  chests-on-frames. 

A  few  years  since  there  were  not  above  a  half  dozen  chests-on-frames 
known.  If  they  are  found  in  the  next  few  years  as  rapidly  as  in  the  five 
years  just  passed,  they  will  rival  the  sunflower  chest  in  numbers.  In 
passing  from  the  treatment  of  these  pieces  we  cannot  fail  to  see  how  closely 
they  resemble  the  boxes  which  follow,  where  the  boxes  have  flat  tops. 
The  chests  are  generally  a  little  larger  and  may  have  suggested  desks. 
There  is  a  close  resemblance. 

Properly  following  analogies,  we  should  look  for  antique  chests,  of  a  large 
size,  on  frames.  One  is  shown  on  shoes.  But  we  know  of  no  large  chests, 
set  on  legs,  and  with  a  drawer  under.  Their  place  was  taken  by  the  highboy. 
The  discussion  of  this  matter  in  Lyon  is  very  interesting,  but  developments 
since  his  volume  should  have  added  more  to  our  knowledge  than  we  can 
claim  to  have  gained.  One  thing,  however,  we  feel  more  clearly:  the  little 
chests  on  frames  were  not  designed  as  desks.  We  have,  it  is  true,  almost 
no  desks  of  the  period,  but  we  do  find  slant  top  boxes.  Why,  if  these  little 
chests  were  for  desks,  were  the  tops  never  slanted?  The  decision  must 
be  that  they  were  not  designed  as  desks. 


[9+] 


[95] 


^ffgfcccir^ 


trfy^^Y 


^r^0f^f 


96 


INTRODUCING  the  subject  of  boxes  we  present  a  miniature  box,  owned 
by  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  We  can  call  it  a  toy  box.  Its  entire  surface 
is  covered  with  carving  in  the  Friesian  manner.  The  body  of  the  box  is 
worked  out  from  a  single  piece  of  wood,  which  appears  to  be  whitewood. 
The  cover,  also  of  a  single  piece,  has  thinned  edges  running  in  grooves 
formed  in  the  edge  of  the  body.  Midway  of  the  length  of  the  cover  are  the 
initials  A.  C,  while  the  initials  N.  J.  are  incised  on  the  end  of  the  cover. 
Length,  4>2  inches;  width,  ^}2  inches;  thickness,  ij^  inches.  As  we  have 
found  Friesian  designs,  carved  in  America,  we  are  allowed  to  assume  that 
this  box  may  be  native.  Certainly  whitewood  is  native.  Date:  about  1700. 
The  box  was  found  in  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  about  1900. 

On  page  109  is  another  minute  box,  owned  by  Mr.  Hollis  French,  of  Bos- 
ton. It  rests  on  top  of  a  larger  box.  There  is  in  this  box,  again,  a  Friesian 
design,  with  beautifully  notched  carving  on  the  base  and  the  lid.  While 
these  boxes  are  very  rare,  they  were  useful,  more  than  the  name  toy  box 
would  imply.  Probably  they  were  used  as  jewel  boxes  to  be  placed,  if  need 
were,  in  a  large  "strong  box."  Many  simple  boxes  of  about  this  size  are 
found  with  slight  ornament.  They  are  in  some  cases  attractive  but,  of 
course,  never  important. 


[97 


THE  Box,  otherwise  called  Bible  box  or  desk  box,  is  a  small  article  de- 
signed to  rest  on  a  table.  Undoubtedly  it  was  sometimes  used  for  a  great 
Bible.  But  in  general  it  was  a  receptacle  for  valuable  papers  or  other 
articles  too  small  or  too  important  to  place  in  a  chest.  Where  boxes  have 
cabinets  as  well  as  slant  fronts,  of  course  they  are  designed  for  desks.  It  is 
unfortunate  that  they  should  be  named,  indiscriminately,  Bible  boxes.  It 
is  better  to  use  the  shorter  term  box. 

The  English  box  has  a  lid,  back  and  bottom  of  oak,  and  is  usually  very 
dark.  We  have  tried  in  the  following  pages  to  exclude  boxes  of  a  foreign 
character.  The  American  box  was  rarely  all  oak,  and  the  wood  is  lighter 
than  the  English  box. 

The  hinge  for  slant  top  boxes  is,  in  best  forms,  a  butterfly.  The  flat  tops 
generally  have  pin  hinges  like  chests. 

Probably  several  hundred  American  boxes  are  known.  Certainly  this 
estimate  is  not  too  high  if  we  include  plain  pine  boxes.  The  specimens  of  a 
finer  character  may  be  confined  to  150  or  200  in  number.  The  design  of  the 
carving  follows  closely  the  carving  of  chests.  Almost  invariably  there  is  a 
molded  base.  The  locks  are  likely  to  be  missing.  It  is  very  probable  that 
where  no  lock  was  ever  fitted  the  box  was  used  for  a  Bible.  The  writer  has 
never  seen  this  distinction  made,  but  it  is  very  reasonable.  It  will  be  noted 
that  many  of  the  most  beautiful  specimens  never  had  locks. 

The  Bible  no  one  would  steal,  not  because  it  lacked  value,  but  owing  to 
the  fear  of  sacrilege.  Hence  it  needed  no  key  to  protect  it.  The  Bible  was 
in  many  cases,  a  huge,  very  expensive  volume.  It  contained  of  course  a 
family  record  more  important  then,  when  the  state  kept  no  vital  statistics. 
In  fact  history  would  lack  much  if  deprived  of  these  records.  At  a  time 
also  when  optical  knowledge  was  small,  a  Bible  with  large  print  was  neces- 
sary for  the  aged,  who  had  recourse  to  it  often.  And  it  was  so  heavy  that 
it  required  a  rest.    Hence,  the  Bible-box. 

On  the  other  hand,  nearly  every  slant  top  specimen,  which  was  made 
for  a  desk,  had  a  lock,  at  least  the  examples  before  us  would  so  indicate. 

The  ends  are  more  likely  to  be  plain  than  carved.  The  presence  or  absence 
of  a  cabinet  has  no  bearing  on  desirability.  The  cabinets  are  always  very 
simple.  The  box  passed  out  of  fashion  with  the  general  introduction  of 
desks.  But  a  modern  desk  box  persisted,  and  is  found  today  in  mahogany 
in  many  homes.    It  opens  on  a  slant,  being  flat  on  top. 


[98] 


SWtes^ 


A  BOX  of  Oak.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  Date:  1660-80.  Size: 
zi}i  by  I4>2  inches,  and  8J<  inches  high.  There  is  some  difficulty  in 
naming  the  carving  running  across  the  upper  front.  Perhaps  the  best  name 
is  arched  fluting.  The  lunettes  familiar  on  chests  run  across  beneath  the 
fluting.    The  same  carving  is  repeated  on  the  ends,  which  is  unusual. 

The  box  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  also  belongs  to  Mr.  Erving.  The  short 
half-moon  carvings  in  three  rows  near  the  bottom  were  seen  on  one  chest  we 
have  figured.  Date:  1670-90.  The  top  line  of  carving  is  unusual  and 
attractive.    The  box  is  27^  by  17  inches,  and  11  inches  high. 

The  base  mold  on  boxes  is  often  of  the  very  simplest  character — sur- 
prisingly so,  since  so  much  elaboration  was  expended  on  the  other  parts 
of  the  box. 


m^'^. 


-**^•«yB^!■  'Af^mwmi',^-:  ■<*iiW!» jf*"*'  g'/  wni^'j 


Ksa^craaM 


ia«si 


mfiM^. 


[99] 


* 


A  BOX  owned  by  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney.  The  carving  is  artistically  de- 
signed and  executed. 

Boxes  are  usually  put  together  with  nails.  The  only  paneled  box  we  have 
to  show  appears  on  page  102.  Occasionally  we  find  dovetailing.  It  is 
obvious  that  panel  work  was  a  device  for  covering  large  surfaces,  and  not 
ordinarily  indulged  in  for  beauty's  sake  alone. 

Below  is  an  oak  box  belonging  to  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  It  is 
asymmetrical,  one  panel  having  the  initial  W.  The  design  is  a  tulip 
pattern,  less  conventionalized  than  usual.  The  corners  are  notched.  Date: 
1670-90.  Now  in  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum,  Hartford.  Origin:  Guilford, 
Connecticut. 


[  100] 


AN  Oak  Box  belonging  to  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  Date:  1670-90.  The 
aster  or  sunflower  is  a  design  found  on  much  17th  Century  work.  An 
example  appears  even  on  the  pine  chest,  page  33.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  of 
course  the  flower  may  be  something  else.  It  looks  more  like  a  rose.  There 
are  turned  ornaments  on  the  ends. 

Size:  25>^  by  17  inches,  and  ()}4  inches  high.    Initialed,  E.  D. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  page  an  oak  box  appears.  Owner:  Mr.  Arthur  W. 
Wellington. 

The  carving  of  arched  flutes  is  like  that  on  Mr.  Erving's  box  on  page  99. 
Below  is  a  handsome  rope  pattern  with  rosettes.    Date:  1660-80. 


[lOl] 


AN  Oak  Box,  with  two  rows  of  arched  flutes.  It  is  unusually  large,  being 
z^yi  by  19  inches,  and  ii>8  inches  high.  Date:  1660-80.  It  carries  carving 
on  the  ends  also. 

Another  oak  box,  below,  in  paneling,  is  a  rare  design.  It  bears  the  initials, 
H.  S.  The  applied  drops  and  bosses  are  mostly  original.  Size:  27S8  by  17^8 
and  9^^  inches  high.    Date:  1670-90. 

Both  of  these  boxes  are  owned  by  the  author.  Only  one  who  loved 
ornament  for  its  own  sake  would  have  taken  pains  to  work  out  so  many 
little  panels  as  we  see  in  this  box.    The  maker  really  delighted  in  design. 


[  102  ] 


A  POND  Lily  Box,  with  raised  carving.  Owner:  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving. 
The  carving  is  asymmetrical,  and  rather  more  attractive  on  that  account. 
The  dimensions  are:  25^  by  i63^  inches.  It  is  9  inches  high.  Date: 
1670-90. 

Below  is  a  pine  box  with  starfish  design.  There  are  one  complete  and  two 
half  lunettes,  each  with  tooth  carving  to  form  the  outlines.  The  carving  is 
raised.  The  design  is  striking.  The  battle-ax  shaped  designs  between  the 
lunettes  are  difficult  to  understand.     No  base  molding  appears. 

Origin:  Connecticut.  Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  Date: 
1 670- 1 700. 


^^X 


[  103 


,#w; 


A  PINE  Box  on  Ball  Feet.  Owner:  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  This  delightful 
specimen  has  fine  butterfly  hinges.  We  have  seen  but  one  other  box  on  feet 
and  that  was  later  in  date.  We  give  1 690-1 700  as  the  probably  date  of  the 
box  before  us. 

Below  is  a  carved  pine  box  belonging  to  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash.  The 
carving  is  combined  with  heavy  moldings,  which  gives  an  appearance  of 
solidity.    Date:  1690- 1700. 

Boxes  occasionally  had  tills  at  the  ends,  like  chests.  Sometimes  boxes 
were  carved  on  the  slant  top.  In  such  cases  of  course  they  were  designed  to 
hold  Bibles,  not  papers.    We  have  not  seen  an  American  box  so  carved. 


[  104] 


A  HADLEY  Box.  Owner:  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  Date;  1690-1700.  At 
least  one  other  Hadley  box  is  known,  perhaps  two,  but  they  are  sufficiently 
rare  to  excite  much  interest.    This  specimen  is  very  shallow. 

A  box  with  painted  rosettes  appears  below.  The  ends  are  of  oak,  the  front 
and  back  of  pine,  as  is  the  lid.  It  belongs  to  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  It  is 
suggestive  of  the  starfish  design  on  page  103,  but  of  course  has  no  special 
reference  to  it.  The  design  was  a  very  obvious  one,  easily  outlined  by  a 
compass.  Red  and  black  paint  appears  in  the  cutaway  sections  of  the 
rosettes. 

Size:  23>2  x  18  inches,  8}4  inches  high. 

Date:  1700-10. 


[  los 


A  SMALL  Box,  from  Norwichtown,  Connecticut.  Fanning  Family. 
Front,  ends  and  lid  profusely  enriched  with  carving  in  the  Friesian  style. 
Made,  according  to  family  tradition,  by  David  Fanning,  of  Norwichtown, 
when  he  was  nine  years  old,  which  would  give  the  box  a  date  of  1736,  as  his 
birth  was  in  1727.  Fanning,  who  died  at  Groton,  Connecticut,  January  8, 
1817,  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  a  man  of  considerable 
local  prominence.  The  box  was  recently  bought  from  one  of  his  descend- 
ants.    Made  of  whitewood,  pine  and  soft  maple. 

Length,  20^3  inches;  width,  io3  s  inches;  hight,  63/s  inches;  lid,  21  by 
10^/2  inches.    George  Dudley  Seymour,  owner. 

Below  is  a  Carved  and  Stippled  Front  Pine  Box.  This  rude  piece, 
related  in  its  type  of  carving  to  Friesian  carving,  was  evidently  the  work  of 
a  tyro  in  design.     Date  1675-1700.     Owner:  Same  as  above. 


,1   <Thri'irtiignnMB— nii-r-^r-"-'  — - ---^Jif*— -ya***** 


106 


AN  Oak  Box,  belonging  to  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  The  foliated  design  here 
compared  with  Mr.  Seymour's  box  under  it  is  interesting.  Mr.  Behrend's 
box  shows  something  resembling  the  acanthus.  Mr.  Seymour's  is  a  con- 
ventionalized tulip.    The  initialed  box  may  date  from  1670-1700. 

Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour's  box  below  is  of  about  the  same  date. 
Both  boxes  show  the  notches  at  the  corners,  simple  touches  which  the  carver 
loved,  and  used  frequently. 

Did  any  one  ever  connect  the  remarkable  mechanical  ability  of  the  people 
of  Connecticut,  especially  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  with  the  fact  that 
they  so  long  kept  the  traditions  of  the  Pilgrim  generation  ?  If  a  wooden 
nutmeg  had  ever  been  made  by  the  Connecticut  artisan  it  would  have  been 
because  he  was  the  only  person  in  America  with  sufficient  skill  to  make  wood 
look  like  a  nutmeg. 


[i07l 


AN  Oak  Box.  Date:  about  1670.  It  has  its  original  butterfly  hinges. 
The  size  is  21  by  18  inches,  and  io>^  inches  high. 

Below  it  is  a  walnut  box,  dating  perhaps  1720.  It  is  dovetailed,  not 
nailed  like  other  boxes,  and  has  ball  feet.  It  is  191^  by  ii>^  inches,  and 
141^  inches  high.  It  opens  down,  desk  fashion,  and  has  a  cabinet.  There 
is  a  chain  covered  with  leather  to  hold  it  from  swinging  too  far.  Both  these 
boxes  are  owned  by  the  author.  They  are  without  decoration,  but  belong 
to  the  simple  substantial  sort,  many  of  which  have  doubtless  been  destroyed. 


[108] 


I'l:. 


A  CARVED  Oak  Box.  The  property  of  Mr.  Hollis  French.  Date:  1660- 
90.  The  scrolls  and  the  foliations  resemble  those  on  the  press  cupboard, 
page  139.    The  little  box  on  top  was  described  on  page  97. 

Below  is  a  tulip  motive  box,  owned  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  The  carving 
is  attractive.  The  box  is  27  by  15  inches,  and  10  inches  high.  The  date  is 
1660-80.  There  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  these  boxes  were  made 
about  the  same  time  as  the  tulip  chests.  One  may  see  in  the  carving  at  the 
center  that  the  artisan  tried  his  hand  at  a  very  successful  'scutcheon  in  wood. 


[  109] 


A  PAINTED  Pine  Box.  Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  Date: 
1700-10.  The  piece  was  bought  in  Hartford.  The  bottom  molding  is  a 
restoration.  The  painting,  not  restored,  shows  a  vine  enfolding  large 
flower-forms. 

The  box  is  now  in  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum,  Hartford. 

The  vine  just  mentioned  resembles  closely  the  decorations  on  the  panels 
of  chests-on-frames,  as  for  instance  that  on  page  90. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  page  appears  a  box  in  pine,  the  property  of  Mr.  B.  A. 
Behrend.  It  is  initialed  E.  A.  At  the  center,  within  a  diamond  marked  out 
in  scratch  carving  is  the  date  1694.  We  see  again  in  this  instance  that  pine 
carving  was  used  very  early. 


[no] 


A  LITTLE  Box,  with  scratch  carving.  It  is  owned  by  the  Connecticut 
Historical  Society  at  Hartford.  The  outHnes  of  the  carving  are  filled  in 
with  white,  but  a  decorative  border  of  carving  is  not  so  filled.  The  size  is 
io>^  X  7  inches,  and  ^]4  inches  high.  The  lid  overhangs  >^  inch  front  and 
sides. 

The  use  of  nails  in  early  furniture  is  not  well  understood.  The  impression 
prevails  among  many  persons  that  nails  indicate  a  late  date.  Also  the  use 
of  hand  wrought  nails  is  reckoned  by  some  a  mark  of  antiquity.  All  nails 
were  hand  wrought  up  to  the  year  1795.  Before  that  period  nails  were  freely 
used  where  experience  showed  them  to  be  appropriate.  Thus  the  bottoms 
of  many  of  the  oldest  chests  and  the  drawer  sides  of  court  cupboards  were 
attached  with  nails,  in  the  earliest  examples  we  know.  In  fact  the  sides  of 
the  drawers  of  court  cupboards  and  chests  were  gouged,  where  they  met  the 
rabbeted  ends  of  the  drawer  front,  in  order  to  make  room  for  great  nails  to 
set  in  deeper  than  they  otherwise  could.  Small  dovetailing  is  a  proof  of  late 
work.    The  early  dovetail,  when  used,  was  very  broad. 

Nailers,  that  is  persons  who  made,  not  drove,  nails  formed  a  guild.  A 
good  nailer  could  make  several  hundred  nails  a  day.  There  were  nails  of 
very  many  shapes  and  sizes,  as  there  are  today. 


[Ill] 


ON  the  next  page  appears  a  secretary,  dating  about  1700.  The  marks 
of  its  age  are  found  in  the  single  arch  molding,  in  the  shape  of  the  door 
panels,  in  the  ball-feet  and  in  the  sliding  panel  of  the  table,  under  the  cab- 
inet. The  greater  number  of  the  handles  are  original.  The  wood  is  walnut. 
Later  feet  would  have  been  more  delicate.  The  earliest  ball-feet  were  very 
clumsy.  The  secretary  is  owned  by  the  author.  As  books  of  record  became 
necessary  the  top  became  indispensable.  Also  the  tops  were  used,  as  they 
still  are,  as  library  shelves. 

The  rarity  of  early  secretaries  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
the  ordinary  family  found  it  convenient  to  move  a  desk  box  from  place  to 
place,  and  also  from  the  circumstance  that  in  those  days  less  writing  was 
done  than  at  present.  In  other  words,  the  piece  was  more  a  luxury  than  a 
necessity.  When,  however,  the  convenience  of  a  cupboard  above  a  desk  was 
felt,  transforming  a  piece  into  a  secretary — though  why  it  should  be  called  a 
secretary  rather  than  a  desk,  the  author  does  not  know — the  fashion  of 
secretaries  rapidly  came  in  and  reached  in  the  block  fronts  the  finest  develop- 
ment of  cabinet  work  ever  attained  in  America,  in  the  marvelous  creations 
of  John  Goddard  of  Newport. 

The  French  scrutoire  was  a  creation  beyond  the  limits  of  our  work. 
Secretary  tops  on  17th  Century  desks  are  very  rare. 

The  wood  of  secretaries  and  desks,  in  this  country,  was  at  first  pine,  for 
the  simpler  specimens,  and  walnut  for  the  finer  examples.  An  occasional 
whitewood  secretary,  like  the  above,  is  found.  We  do  not  recall  any  Ameri- 
can oak  desk  with  legs. 

Then  came  maple,  which  followed  along  with  the  walnut,  and  continued 
in  use  during  the  mahogany  period,  for  the  simpler  desks.  Desks  with 
maple  frame  and  pine  for  the  desk  proper  are  not  unusual. 

A  fine  cabinet  is  not  found  in  the  17th  Century  desks.  As  a  rule  desks 
are  made  with  base  attached.  Occasionally  we  find  an  early  desk  which 
maintains  the  tradition  of  a  separate  upper  section,  like  a  desk  box.  The 
fact  that  almost  every  desk  had  a  lip  on  the  drawer  indicates  that  few  were 
made  before  1700.  Nor  do  we  find  any  car\'ing  on  American  desks,  in  the 
early  time.  This  again  shows  that  they  are  later  than  the  boxes  and  the 
little  chests  on  frames.  They  are  essentially  a  part  of  the  furniture  of  a 
developed  country,  and  a  secondary  age. 

As  a  consequence  the  variety  of  desks  before  1720  is  small,  and  we  have 
seen  none  that  appeared  to  be  older  than  1690,  possibly  1700. 

In  this  connection  we  notice  that  the  portion  of  Connecticut  where  early 
furniture  was  made  comprised  a  rich  agricultural  district,  and  was  settled 
in  many  cases  by  men  of  substance. 

Put  in  another  form,  one  reason  why  we  find  so  much  good  furniture 
before  1700,  in  Connecticut,  is  that  her  people  could  aflford  it. 

[112] 


[ii3l 


ON  the  previous  page  appears  a 
picture  of  a  secretary  with  ball  feet, 
the  property  of  the  author.  The  fea- 
tures which  mark  the  close  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century  and  some  which 
also  appeared  in  the  early  part  of 
the  Eighteenth  Century  are  here  man- 
ifest, namely  the  ball  feet  and  the 
arched  panels  with  horizontal  mem- 
bers at  the  top.  There  is  a  sliding 
panel  in  the  table  of  the  cabinet. 
Date  about  1700. 

The    secretaries    of  this   period    are 
rare. 
A  feature  in  the  large  piece  is  also  seen  in  some  other  secretaries,  of  the 

mahogany  period.    The  top  extends  about  an  inch  in  the  back  beyond  the 

line  of  the  frame  of  the  lower  part.    This  extension  would  suggest  that  the 

parts  were  not  designed  for  one  another.     But  the  pieces  were  designedly 

so  constructed  in  order  that  the  top  might  bear  against  the  wall,  reaching 

over  the  dado  of  about  an  inch  thickness. 

At  the  top  of  this  page  is  a  piece  almost  precisely  like  that  on  the  previous 

page  except  for  the  top.     Sometimes  as  in  the  instance  of  the  secretary  on 

page   113,  the  top  was  made  detachable.     This  piece  without  cupboard 

above  is  in  walnut,  and  the  date  is  the  same,  about  1700. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  page  is  a  little  ____ 

desk  in  pine,  with  maple  frame.      Its 

small  size  suggests  a  desk  box  changing 

by  development   to  a  desk  box  on   a 

frame. 
These  little   desks    are  often    made 

detachable    from    the     frame.      That 

they  are  not  of  the  same  date  or  for 

the  same  purpose   as  the  little  chests 

on    frames   is   clear.       The    desks   are 

not  in  oak. 


[114] 


A  TURNED  frame  desk  of  the  highest  merit  and  rarity  which  was  in  the 
owner's  former  collection  and  has  now  passed  into  the  collection  of  Mr. 
Harry  Long.  The  solid  and  large  turnings  call  for  an  earlier  date  than  the 
over-hanging  lip  of  the  drawer,  but  it  is  necessary  to  place  this  piece  about 
1700  or  a  little  later.  The  interior  is  very  simple,  containing  a  few  pigeon 
holes,  a  single  range  of  drawers  and  in  the  center  a  small  door  without  a 
panel.  The  point  of  merit  in  this  piece  is  the  solidity  of  the  frame  and  the 
style  of  the  middle  and  end  stretchers. 

What  seems  a  defect  is  the  fact  that  the  pulls  on  which  the  drawer  rests 
when  open  are  faced  with  a  thin  strip  to  form  a  lip  all  about  the  pull. 
The  wood  is  walnut  and  the  dimensions  are  42  inches  long,  38^^  inches 
high  and  20  inches  wide.  The  dimension  of  the  square  of  the  legs  is  2^ 
inches.  The  depth  of  the  drawer  is  3  inches.  The  piece  is  shown  prac- 
tically in  the  original  state. 

[115] 


A  LITTLE  sturdy  desk  of  pine,  in  the  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design. 
The  very  heavy  lid  with  its  excellent  "thumb-nail"  molding,  the  heavy  dove- 
tailing, the  flush  drawer,  the  heavy  turning,  bespeak  a  date  inside  the 
Seventeenth  Century,  probably  1680-1700.  The  lid  suggests  a  chest  top. 
It  is  the  chagrin  of  the  writer  that  he  once  failed  to  obtain  this  desk.  Econ- 
omy is  often  very  wasteful. 

[116] 


A  SMALL  desk  in  the  author's  collection .  It  is  of  pine  above  with  a  maple 
frame — ^the  usual  construction  of  simple  desks  of  its  period.  The  cabinet  is 
very  plain.  It  has  good  old  butterfly  hinges.  Desks  of  this  character  were 
only  one  degree  removed  from  desk  boxes.  Comparing  this  desk  with 
that  opposite,  one  at  once  feels  the  quainter  earlier  character  of  that 
desk.    Date  about  1700-20. 

[117] 


A  DESK  with  Turned  Frame,  the  property  of  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
While  the  handles  on  this  piece  bespeak  a  date  of  at  least  1710,  which  is 
borne  out  by  double  arch  molding,  the  turning  leads  us  to  suppose  that  the 
date  is  fully  as  early.  The  butterfly  hinge  and  the  general  character  of  the 
desk  proper  is  almost  exactly  the  same  as  the  author's  on  the  preceding  pages 

Frame  233:4  inches  high,  29  inches  long,  i8j/^  inches  deep. 


[118] 


A  WALNUT  Desk.  Formerly  owned  by  Mr.  I.  Sack.  This  hand- 
somely turned  specimen,  dating  about  1690-1710,  has  handles  which  of 
course  are  too  late.  The  piece  is  made  in  two  parts,  being  really  a  desk  box 
on  a  table  frame,  with  an  extra  set  of  drawers.  It  is  a  rather  large  piece, 
carefully  restored.  Obviously  a  desk  so  constructed  required  a  special  chair 
of  extraordinary  hight.  Even  so  one  could  not  sit  closely.  This  fact  no 
doubt  led  to  the  development  of  a  series  of  drawers  running  to  the  floor, 
since  there  was  no  possibility  of  utilizing  the  space  under  the  desk  for 
the  knees. 


[IT9] 


A  PINE  Cross-Stretcher  Desk.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  This  dehght- 
tul  desk,  dating  about  1690-1700,  is  only  3134  inches  long.  From  front  to 
back  it  is  19^/4  inches.  The  hight  is  33>^  inches.  It  has  the  early  butterfly 
hinges.  It  was  found  not  very  far  from  Boston.  It  is  the  only  desk  known 
to  the  writer,  in  pine,  in  this  style. 

The  dimensions  given  above  are  over  all.  The  frame  is  only  29^4  by  ig}4 
inches.  A  desk  with  cross-stretchers  is  convenient  for  the  feet  of  one  sitting 
at  the  desk.    It  matches  also,  if  in  a  chamber,  the  cross-stretcher  lowboy. 


[  120] 


A  WALNUT  Cross-Stretcher  Desk.  Date:  1690-1700.  It  has  fine  old 
butterfly  hinges.  The  drawer  is  a  restoration,  and  the  writer  is  not  sure  it 
should  not  have  been  restored  to  correspond  with  the  piece  on  the  previous 
page.  The  desk  came  into  Boston,  in  the  rough,  complete  in  every  detail 
except  the  drawer. 

The  carcass  is  36  by  20  inches.  The  hight,  behind,  is  32^  inches;  and  in 
front  28>^  inches.  The  width  of  the  flat  portion  of  the  top  is  6  inches,  and 
that  of  the  lid  15^^  inches. 

The  cross-stretcher  chair  is  practically  unknown  as  an  American  product. 
One  example  appears  on  page  337-,  and  a  pair  of  stools  on  page  285. 

This  desk  is  the  property  of  the  author. 


[121] 


A  SMALL  Desk  in  Pine. 
Owner:  Mr.  I.  Sack.  The  gene- 
alogy of  this  desk  is  established. 
The  turnings  are  an  imitation  of 
highboy  turnings.  The  date  is 
about  1700-10.  It  is  a  piece  of 
no  small  interest  as  showing  the 
approach  to  a  smaller  type  of 
legs  than  those  in  use  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  i8th  Century. 

We  cannot  precisely  say  when 
the  style  of  desk  hinged  in  front 
came  in.  It  is  at  least  a  little 
later  than  the  style  hinging  in 
the  back.  But  for  years  both 
styles  went  along  side  by  side. 
Both  begin  in  17th  Century. 


Below  appears  a  desk 
owned  by  Mr.  H.  W. 
Erving.  It  has  a  very 
prettily  scrolled  frame, 
the  scrolling  being  ex- 
tended around  the  ends. 
The  legs  show  the  Dutch 
influence  and  have  button 
feet.  It  is  constructed  of 
maple  and  butternut,  and 
the  back  is  of  pine.  There 
is  a  rosette  at  each  side  of 
the  upper  drawer  and  the 
pulls  to  support  the  lid 
are  round.  The  desk  is 
dainty,  in  advance  of  its 
period,  which  is  about 
1720-40.  It  is  28>^  inches 
long,  20  inches  from  front 
to  back,  and  38  inches 
high. 


[122] 


A  PRESS  Cupboard  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum.  The  brackets  are 
considered  as  not  belonging  to  the  piece.  The  carving  is  very  rich,  in  the 
early  arch  style,  and  strongly  suggests  the  English  cupboards.  Yet  it  is 
supposed  to  be  American.  The  posts  can  be,  as  they  are,  severely  plain. 
They  would  otherwise  call  the  eye  away  from  the  decoration,  which  is 
subtly  contrived  by  an  artist.  It  is  very  far  in  advance  of  the  later  American 
carving.  It  is  so  early  that  it  was  done  in  the  spirit  of  a  previous  generation. 
Date  about  1650. 


[  123  ] 


THERE  are  known  to  be  in  existence  in  America  perhaps  forty  court 
cupboards,  if  we  reckon  under  this  term  also  the  speciahzed  form  called 
press  cupboards.  They  are  a  direct  inheritance  from  English  styles.  The 
possession  of  a  court  cupboard  in  the  early  days  was  a  mark  of  social  stand- 
ing. Only  those  with  pretensions  to  some  dignity  in  their  dwellings  had 
these  stately  pieces. 

The  genealogy  of  the  Parmenter  Court  Cupboard,  a  picture  of  which 
follows  on  the  next  page,  traces  it  to  the  builder  of  the  Parmenter  Garrison 
house.  That  house  was  erected  about  1683,  in  South  Sudbury,  it  being  the 
first  house  in  town.  When  the  Wayside  Inn  was  built  about  1700,  the 
carpenters  passed  their  nights  in  the  Garrison  house,  for  fear  of  Indian 
attack. 

Pelatiah  Parmenter  was  born  in  the  early  part  of  the  17th  Century  and 
was  lost  at  sea,  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  in  privateer  warfare. 
Abel  Parmenter,  his  grandson, was  born  in  the  garrison  house  in  1754.  Joshua 
Parmenter,  who  is  responsible  for  preserving  the  cupboard,  was  born  in 
Framingham  in  1824  and  died  in  1903.  His  widow,  from  whom  the  writer 
acquired  the  cupboard,  now  survives  him.  His  mother  was  Lucretia  Par- 
menter, daughter  of  Abel.  Joshua  went  to  live  in  the  garrison  house  at 
about  10  years  of  age. 

Sudbury  was  settled  from  Watertown  and  undoubtedly  the  cupboard  was 
brought  with  other  plenishings  for  the  new  garrison  house.  All  the  shelves 
being  of  pine,  together  with  the  backs  and  drawer  bottoms,  and  the  posts 
being  of  maple,  the  cupboard  is  established  as  a  thoroughly  American  struc- 
ture. The  great  weight  of  the  drawers,  their  large  side  runs,  and  the  four- 
inch  posts,  have  a  massive  effect.  The  carving  on  the  doors  seems  to  be 
deeply  recessed,  owing  to  the  subtle  devise  of  allowing  the  molding  to  over- 
lay the  carving  slightly. 

The  lack  of  a  rail  below  the  drawers  will  be  noticed  on  several  chests  in 
this  work. 

The  feet  of  this  cupboard  have  been  pieced  by  the  writer.  Joshua  Par- 
menter remembered  their  being  cut  off  when  he  was  a  boy,  about  1835. 
Against  all  advice  he  cherished  the  old  cupboard,  so  that  our  generation 
now  has  this  unique  example  of  early  American  work.    Date:  1640-50. 


[  124  1 


THE  Parmenter  Court  Cupboard,  owned  by  the  author.  A  fuller  descrip- 
tion appears  on  the  previous  page.  The  author  is  somewhat  embarrassed 
in  placing  an  estimate  on  the  merits  of  this  remarkable  piece,  and  will  there- 
fore confine  his  statements  purely  to  the  historic  and  structural  features. 
This  piece  by  its  bill  of  sale  cannot  pass  from  the  author's  hands  except  to 
a  public  museum. 


[125] 


A  PRESS  Cupboard  in  the  Brooklyn  Museum  of  Fine  Arts.  It  should  be 
compared  with  that  on  page  139.  This  example  is  free  from  extensive  restor- 
ation and  therefore  better.  In  both  the  same  rather  unsatisfactory  pillars 
appear,  but  in  that  piece  there  is  the  rare  feature  of  carving  on  the  back 
stile.  This  piece  has  lost  some  three  or  four  inches  from  the  feet.  Of 
course  the  unavoidable  presumption  is  that  these  two  pieces,  with  some 
others  like  them  were  made  in  the  same  neighborhood  of  Connecticut. 
Date:    1670-80. 


[126  1 


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A  COURT  Cupboard  in  the  Connecticut  Sunflower  (or  Aster)  and 
Tulip  pattern.  This  cupboard  belongs  to  Yale  University  and  is  kept 
with  two  others  in  the  president's  office,  where  of  course  every  courtesy  is 
extended  to  persons  desiring  to  see  them.  Yet  one  must  keenly  regret 
that  it  is  necessary  to  intrude  on  a  private  office  to  gain  a  view  of  such 
important  objects.  Since  so  few  are  available  for  study,  the  principle  of 
the  greatest  good  for  the  greatest  number — the  true  educational  idea — 
would  seem  to  be   in   need  of  application  here. 

[  127] 


ON  this  page  is  shown  a  detail  of  the  sunflower  press  cupboard  owned  by 
the  Lancaster  Public  Library.  The  special  interest  of  this  cupboard,  aside 
from  its  rare  intrinsic  merit,  arises  from  the  fact  that  it  is  in  its  rough 
state,  except  that  the  paint  found  on  it,  when  it  was  bought  in  1876,  has  been 
washed  off. 

The  reason  for  the  purchase  of  the  cupboard,  at  the  early  date  mentioned, 
was  that  it  had  been  a  possession  of  the  first  minister  of  the  town.  There 
was  a  question  whether  ninety  dollars  was  not  too  much  to  invest  in  such  an 
old,  queer  piece  of  furniture!  So  far  has  public  interest  and  knowledge 
advanced  since  1876! 

An  object  of  much  interest  is  the  fine  drop  under  the  architrave.  Many 
possessors  of  court  cupboards  do  not  know  such  a  drop  was  used.  It  is  a 
marvel  that  so  fine  a  piece  should  have  escaped  for  so  long  the  knowledge  of 
antiquarians.  It  is  mentioned  nowhere  in  previous  literature  on  antique 
furniture.    It  is  undoubtedly  of  Connecticut  origin. 


[128] 


THIS  Cupboard  is  described  on  the  previous  page.  Date:  1660-78. 

The  Rev.  Jos.  Rowlandson  married  Mary  White.  He  was  minister  in 
Lancaster,  1654-76.  He  died  in  Wetherfield,  1678.  His  heirs  sold  the  cup- 
board in  1825  to  the  Rev.  B.  R.  Woodbridge,  of  Norwich.  He  died  at  South 
Hadley,  in  1846,  leaving  the  cupboard  to  his  nephew,  Mr.  J.  W.  Dunlap 
of  that  town,  who  sold  it  to  the  library. 

I  129  1 


A  COURT  Cupboard  owned  by  ]\Irs.  J.  Insley  Blair,  Tuxedo  Park.  It 
is  of  rather  light  construction,  but  is  perhaps  more  attractive  to  the  taste  of 
the  general  public.  Its  spool  turning  is  quite  unusual.  It  belongs  to  the 
very  last  part  of  the  17th  Century. 

[130] 


A  PRESS  Cupboard  owned  by  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney  of  Boston.  It  is 
very  unusual  in  having  three  drawers,  like  one  in  the  possession  of  Yale 
University.  The  repetition  of  the  three  sets  of  triglyphs  on  the  posts  and  a 
set  corresponding  in  the  center  enhances  strongly  the  vertical  line  effects, 
often  lost  in  press  cupboards,  but  secured  in  court  cupboards  by  the  repeti- 
tion of  the  two  tiers  of  posts.    Date:  1660-90. 

Obviously  the  need  of  drawer  space  was  beginning  to  impress  itself  on 
designers.  A  cupboard  enclosed  left  very  little  room  for  the  display  of 
plate,  which  was  beginning  to  be  looked  on  as  a  secondary  object. 

[131] 


A  PRESS  Cupboard  owned  by  Mr.  Philip  L.  Spalding  of  Boston.  It 
came  from  New  Hampshire,  being  found  last  in  Concord.  It  of  course 
lacks  a  portion  of  the  foot,  but  is  otherwise  in  good  condition.  The  style 
of  the  molding  is  unusual,  a  series  of  parallel  grooved  moldings  each 
interrupted  several  times  in  its  length,  for  the  imposition  of  a  small  boss. 
Date:  1660-90. 

[  132  ] 


A  COURT  Cupboard  owned  by  Mr.  James  N.  H.  Campbell  of  Hartford, 
who  also  owns  that  on  page  137,  and  has  placed  them  in  a  room  paneled 
to  honor  them.  A  simple  splay-cupboard  type,  very  attractive,  owing  to  its 
freedom  from  over  ornament.  The  raking  of  the  small  dentils  under  cap 
and  shelf  is  very  noticeable,  and  a  good  decorative  feature.  This  piece  was 
restored  a  good  while  since  by  the  father  of  the  owner.    Date:    1670-90. 


[  133  ] 


A  COURT  Cupboard  owned  by  Mrs.  Hulings  Cowperthwaite  Brown  of 
Brookline.  An  unusual  detail  of  interest,  seen  in  another  cupboard  only 
in  this  work,  on  page  138,  is  the  engrailing  beneath  the  bottom  shelf. 
It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  illustrate  so  many  cupboards  open  below,  as 
the  closed  or  "press"  cupboard  has  hitherto  strongly  predominated.  Date: 
1660-90. 

[134] 


A  PRESS  Cupboard  Base,  the  property  of  Mr.  Arthur  W.  Welhngton. 
This  beautiful  cupboard  base  has  some  distinctive  features  which  are  very 
pleasing.  The  columns  are  boldly  and  daintily  turned.  The  scheme  of 
recessing  the  drawers  below  is  interesting.  The  geometrical  moldings  on 
the  drawers  assimilate  this  piece  to  some  of  the  later  Seventeenth  Century 
chests  and  chests  of  drawers.  The  piece  never  had  wooden  knobs,  but  was 
made  with  the  brass  drop  handles  as  seen.  There  are  visible  on  the  top  the 
outlines  of  the  splayed  cupboard  which  was  imposed  upon  this  base.  At 
the  corners  little  holes  have  been  filled  in  with  new  wood  where  the  dowels 
of  the  corner  posts  stood.  No  trace  has  been  found  of  the  old  top.  This 
base,  however,  presents  features  of  much  interest  and  beauty.  It  seemed 
worth  while  to  record  it  as  we  have  done.  We  believe  that  in  all  cases 
bases  of  this  character  had  tops.  Several  have  been  found,  not  as  good 
as  this,  however,  without  tops.  The  wood  is  of  the  beautiful  old  surface 
in  this  specimen  and  is  very  attractive.  This  cupboard  with  four  turnings 
like  the  two  which  remain  must  have  been  a  very  beautiful  affair.  So 
far  as  we  can  discover  there  have  been  only  the  most  insignificant  restora- 
tions to  this  piece. 

Date:  1670-1700. 

[135] 


ON  page  130  is  a  court  cupboard  formerly  in  tiie  possession  of  Mrs.  A. 
W.  Mattoon  of  New  Haven,  and  long  on  exhibit  in  the  New  Haven  His- 
torical Society  rooms.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  J.  Insley  Blair  of  Tuxedo 
Park.  The  turnings  while  very  unusual  resemble  those  on  the  desk,  page 
119.    The  piece  is  thoroughly  genuine.    Date:  1680-1700. 

Court  cupboards  received  more  enrichment  than  any  other  pieces  of 
furniture.  In  this  particular  the  sideboard  of  the  mahogany  period  inherited 
their  importance.  The  question  of  livery  cupboards  has  been  treated  very 
fully  by  Lyon.  The  connection  between  "livery"  and  "deliver"  should  be 
noted,  as  the  livery  cupboard  was  the  point  from  which  the  supplies  were 
delivered  to  the  servants  by  the  mistress  of  the  house. 

There  was  a  hiatus  after  1700,  when  the  court  cupboard  went  out,  be- 
fore the  sideboard  came  in.     Meantime  a  side  table  did  duty. 

The  English  court  cupboards,  which  are  being  brought  to  America,  seem 
to  have  no  attractions  whatever  for  the  student  of  antiques.  This  is  partly 
because  there  has  been  a  scandalous  number  of  spurious  and  even  poorly 
constructed  cupboards  brought  to  America.  Except  a  cupboard  has  been 
here  more  than  two  hundred  years,  collectors  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 
The  foreign  piece  is  easily  detected,  as  it  has  no  pine  in  its  construction;  the 
oak  is  dark.  Several  American  court  cupboards  have  come  to  light  since 
the  great  war.  Two  such  pieces  have  been  found  in  southern  New  Hamp- 
shire and  two  in  Massachusetts.  But  pieces  of  such  size  can  hardly  hide 
away  in  any  number.  It  is  not  likely  that  a  dozen  more  will  come  to  light 
in  many  years. 

In  the  old  inventories  cupboards  are  mentioned  very  frequently.  Sarah 
Dillingham,  of  Ipswich,  in  an  inventory  of  1636,  left  "a  Cubert,  los." 
Later  we  read  of  "one  great  cubberd,  i  li.;"  "one  cubbortt,  5s.  6d.;"  "one 
cupbord  and  cloth,  10s.;"  "one  vallance  for  a  cupbord,  6s.;"  "one  cuberd 
and  cuberd  cloth;"  "a  cupboard  &  a  cushin;"  "one  cubboard  &  cubboard 
cloath;"  "a  cubber;"  "cobbord;"  "a  cubbart  &  cubbart  cloth;"  "one  cub- 
bard  &  a  drawer,  3  li.;"  "a  cobbord,  8s.;"  "a  coubourtt;"  "curttaings  & 
vallings  &  cobbartt  cloth  and  cushenghs;"  "one  coubbard  and  one  leather 
skin  and  the  things  in  the  coubbard,  13s.;"  two  cubberds  2  li.  iSs.;"  "great 
cobber."  There  are  also  mentioned  cupboards  with  the  following  ad- 
jectives prefixed:  Court,  livery,  press,  side,  standing,  wainscot  and  hang- 
ing; the  last  being  in  the  nature  of  wardrobes.  All  these  are  before  1664. 
See  the  valuable  records  on  furniture  in  the  Probate  Records  oj  Essex  County, 
Salem,  1916.     Published  by  the  Essex  Institute. 


I136I 


A  PRESS  Cupboard  owned  by  Mr.  James  N.  H.  Campbell.  It  stands 
in  front  of  wainscot  built  to  set  it  off.  The  design  is  very  unusual  and 
striking.  The  grain  of  the  oak  is  very  boldly  shown.  The  effect  of  the  five 
cruciform  sets  of  applied  decorations  is  good.  The  pillars  belong  to  the 
simpler  type.  The  date  is  perhaps  later  than  the  average.  It  may  be 
about  1680-90. 


[  137] 


THIS  Court  Cupboard  is  now  restored,  and  we  venture  to  show  it  in  its 
present  form.  It  is  in  the  MetropoHtan  Museum  and  from  the  Bolles 
Collection.  Its  design  is  somewhat  ornate  for  an  American  cupboard, 
which  it  nevertheless  is.  The  center  arch  molding  in  these  cupboards  is  a 
style  carried  over  from  early  chests  and  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  earliest 
period  as  always  when  seen  in  any  furniture.  The  exuberant  quality  in 
taste,  a  legacy  of  the  Elizabethan  time,  is  amusingly  shown  here.  The  ends 
have  cruciform  panels;  the  front  diamond  shaped  panels,  and  an  arch. 
Corbels,  dentils,  nail  heads,  notch  carving,  molding,  applied  spindles  and 
scrolled  skirt  leave  nothing  out  from  the  discursive  mind  of  the  construc- 
tor.   Date:   1650-80. 

[138] 


T^  %• 


.•Li-  •mr  r-jf-  ■• 


A  COURT  Cupboard  in  the  Stanton  House,  Clinton,  Connecticut,  a 
public  collection.  The  posts  supporting  the  architrave  are  not  as  fine  as 
in  other  types.  Several  similar  pieces  have  been  found  in  the  same  part 
of  Connecticut.  Date  1660-1690.  The  nail  heads  are  an  erroneous  effort 
at  restoration.  The  moldings  lining  the  panels  are  also  wrongly  placed 
there. 


[  139] 


THE  Press  Cupboard  on  the  next  page  is  in  part  described  there.  Its 
enormous  turned  posts,  reduced  at  top  and  bottom  to  diameters  so  small, 
resemble  more  nearly  the  earliest  cupboards  known,  the  Elizabethan,  than 
any  others  shown  in  this  volume. 

Court  cupboards  are  the  most  valuable  and  important  pieces  of  furniture 
that  have  come  down  to  us  from  the  Pilgrim  time.  We  doubt  if  any  of  the 
Plymouth  people  had  such  cupboards.  The  ancient  inventories  mention  a 
good  number,  beginning  in  and  near  Boston  and  running  up  along  the  North 
Shore  to  York,  Maine,  a  region  where  there  was  greater  wealth. 

The  second  region,  where  they  are  found,  is  in  the  famous  oak  triangle, 
if  one  may  so  name  it,  the  points  of  which  are  Hartford,  New  Haven,  Say- 
brook.  Of  course  sporadic  instances  of  fine  carved  specimens  may  be  found 
outside  these  limits.  And  various  migrations  to  newer  settlements,  carried 
such  furniture  inland.  Any  thrifty  New  England  Settlement  of  some  size 
before  1660,  may  be  relied  on  as  a  producer  of  oak  furniture.  The  student 
of  history  sees  at  once  that  he  is  very  restricted,  in  this  investigation.  The 
tradition  of  oak  began  to  die  out  before  the  century  was  over.  Seventeen 
hundred  sees  walnut  well  established,  and  in  England  "The  Age  of  Walnut" 
is  a  title  given  to  a  work  on  furniture  covering  the  period  beginning  1670. 

It  is  eminently  true  that  styles  overlap,  like  shingles  on  a  roof.  Thirty 
years  is  not  too  long  to  reckon  as  the  length  of  the  overlap.  America  trailed 
behind  England  from  a  score  of  years  to  a  generation. 

But  while,  in  conservative  neighborhoods,  oak  persisted  in  England,  for 
a  century  more,  the  same  is  not  true  here.  An  oak  piece  of  furniture,  made 
in  America  after  1700  is  extremely  rare,  and  after  1720  is  practically  un- 
known. 

We  feel  certain  from  various  sorts  of  evidence  that  the  court  cupboards 
mentioned  in  old  inventories  were  no  better  than  the  articles  called  merely 
cupboards.  One  reason  for  this  certainty  is  that  the  court  cupboard 
is  not  valued  any  higher  than  the  other  cupboards.  The  same  remark 
applies  to  livery  and  press  cupboards.  The  press  cupboard  is  mentioned 
only  once  in  the  Essex  records,  before  1664,  and  only  once  after  that. 
In  those  cupboards  that  remain  to  us  the  proportion  of  press  cupboards  is 
larger.  Side  cupboards  are  mentioned  oftener  as  the  date  grows  later. 
As  a  rule  there  is  no  descriptive  adjective  with  the  word  cupboard.  We 
are  not  always  certain  what  a  side  cupboard  was,  or  why  the  term  should  be 
used,  as  we  find  no  corner  cupboards  in  these  early  times. 


I  140] 


A  CONNECTICUT   Oak   Court   Cupboard. 
Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.     The  front  and  cupboard  ends  are 
ornamented  with  corbels  and  turtle-back  bosses,  the  corners  of  the  top 
being  sustained   by  boldly-turned,   deeply-cut   posts. 

Hight  over  all,  54^^  inches;  hight  of  upper  section,  zxyi  inches;  hight 
of  lower  section,  33  inches;  depth  of  lower  section,  19^^  inches;  top  of  lower 
section  (the  cupboard  proper)  45  by  20]/^,  inches.     Date  1675-1700. 

[141] 


A  PAINTED  Whitewood  Press  Cupboard.  Owner:  Mrs.  G.  C.  Bryant, 
Ansonia ,  Connecticut .  On  this  page  appears  a  diagonal  view  to  give  the  end 
board;  on  the  next  page  is  the  larger  front  view;  neither  picture  being  made 
by  the  author.  This  is  undoubtedly  a  most  important  piece  of  painted 
furniture,  and  the  only  press  cupboard,  made  after  the  analogy  of  the  court 
cupboard,  of  any  wood  except  oak.  We  have  here  every  feature  of  the  great 
court  cupboards,  but  in  simple,  quaint,  humble  form.  Here  is  a  splayed 
cupboard  proper,  the  corner  posts,  doors  and  drawer;  only  the  long  drawer 
is  placed  below.  The  decoration  belongs  to  the  same  class  as  that  shown 
on  page  54  and  elsewhere,  though  we  find  it  here  in  a  simpler  form.  This 
unique  piece  excites  our  strongest  approval.  That  a  designer  should  have 
the  courage  to  evoke  from  a  "six  board"  basis  a  piece  of  furniture  of  so  much 
character,  and  withal  so  satisfying,  speaks  much  for  the  individual  artisan 
of  the  time. 

The  date  is  1690-1710. 

Since  the  above  was  written  another  cupboard,  largely  pine,  of  the  same 
general  construction  as  that  here  mentioned,  has  been  found  in  New  Hamp- 
shire.    It  is  decorated  in  the  thistle  design. 


[  142] 


[143] 


ON  the  next  page  is  shown  an  important  wardrobe  in  pine.  It  is  owned 
by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston,  who  is  to  be  congratulated,  as  the  piece  is  perhaps 
unique.  The  curved  paneHng  is  carved  from  the  sohd.  The  piece  stands 
very  high.  It  is  in  the  rich  shade  of  old  pine,  natural.  The  attempt  at  a 
bracket  foot,  which  is  almost  a  stile,  suggests  the  early  date,  about  1700-10. 

The  small  number  of  early  wardrobes  arises  from  the  fashion  of  the  time, 
which  favored  folding  away  garments  or  hanging  them  in  a  built-in  closet. 

On  page  146  is  a  corner  cupboard  of  pine.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  It 
belongs  to  the  period  when  paneling  came  into  fashion,  about  1720-30. 

On  page  147  is  an  unique  cupboard  in  respect  to  its  canopied  top.  It  was 
found  in  Rhode  Island.  There  is  no  distinctive  mark  of  date,  which  may  be 
from  1720-50.  The  shape  of  the  scroll,  as  it  meets  the  shelf,  reminds  us  of 
the  arm  of  a  settle.    The  wood  is  pine.    It  is  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston. 

The  cupboard,  built  in,  or  as  a  movable  piece,  came  into  its  own  in  the 
1 8th  Century.  For  the  sake  of  completeness  of  treatment  we  shall  carry 
through,  beyond  our  period,  the  pine  cupboard. 

Further,  as  the  task  we  set  ourselves  was  to  show  native,  distinctive  fur- 
niture, we  are  fairly  compelled  to  include  all  pine  examples  of  style  even  past 
1700 — thirty  years  after  our  period,  in  other  matters,  properly  ends. 

There  m.ust  always  be  a  question  where  furniture  ends  and  mere  carpentry 
begins.  In  the  case  of  cupboards  we  rule  out  absolutely  plain  pieces  like 
boxes  with  doors.  We  include  whatever  has  a  touch  of  taste  in  form,  or 
decoration. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  frequency  of  side  cupboards.  The  phrase 
"corner  cupboard"  is  heard  everywhere.  But  before  1730  a  cupboard  was 
as  likely  to  be  designed  for  a  side  wall  as  for  a  corner.  The  material  of  cup- 
boards, as  soon  as  we  leave  court  cupboards,  is  usually  pine. 

If  we  are  to  consider  the  wardrobe  on  page  145  as  what  the  old  inventories 
designated  "a  hanging  cupboard,"  we  find  ourselves  obliged  to  suppose 
they  were  very  rare.  There  is  a  rare  mention  of  presses.  Whether  they 
were  for  press  beds  or  for  hanging  clothes  we  cannot  be  certain.  When  we 
remember  the  extreme  rarity  or  perhaps  utter  lack  of  paneled  walls  in  the 
17th  century,  it  is  easier  to  understand  the  lack  of  "hanging"   cupboards. 

The  word  wardrobe,  meaning  a  press  for  clothing,  does  not  occur  in  early 
inventories.  In  literature  of  the  date  it  is  used  of  a  room  where  clothing  was 
kept,  rather  than  of  a  clothes  press. 


[  144] 


iHSl 


[146] 


I  147] 


— — ^ 


■'  i—ujww 


■"^*!M 


Aiiiifawt"!^' ip'mn ^-srilgyT^^a^'-   "     •  >•' 


A  KNICKERBOCKER  Kas.  These  huge  articles  were  very  popular  in 
New  York,  New  Jersey  and  wherever  the  Dutch  element  predominated. 
The  example  above  belongs  to  the  author.  The  date  is  about  1750.  There 
is  an  immense  cornice,  two  doors,  a  drawer,  and  very  big  ball  feet.  The  wood 
is  walnut  and  pine;  in  the  finer  specimens  walnut. 

On  page  149  is  a  cupboard  of  1720-30,  belonging  to  the  author.  Such  cup- 
boards, with  scroll  boards  flatwise  to  the  beholder,  preceded  cupboards  with 
doors.  The  shelves  are  handsomely  shaped.  The  piece  is  73  inches  high 
and  35  inches  wide.    The  bottom  shelf  is  38  inches  high. 


[148] 


1 

■r  ^' 

s> 

' 

i 

—  . 

jsa 


[  149] 


ON  the  next  page  is  a  most  attractive  side  wall  cupboard,  belonging  to 
Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  The  scrolled  panels  are  carved  from  the  solid.  One 
notices  the  early  approach  to  the  bracket  foot.  A  very  rare  cupboard,  with 
but  one  or  two  known  like  it.    Date:  1710-20. 

On  page  152  is  the  first  example  we  show  of  an  open  dresser.  The  term 
dresser  was  in  common  use  up  to  fifty  years  ago,  applied  to  any  broad  shelf 
in  the  culinary  end  of  the  house.  But  generally  there  were,  as  here,  shelves 
above.  The  supporting  uprights  when  scrolled  as  here,  dignified  the  work 
sufficiently  to  make  it  rank  as  furniture.  The  specimen  on  page  152  is 
peculiar  in  having  the  boards  in  the  back  scrolled;  also  the  feet.  As  a  rule 
the  backs  are  solidly  boarded,  but  sometimes  they  are  paneled;  and  in  case 
the  dresser  was  built  into  the  wall  there  was  often  only  a  plaster  backing. 
The  date  is  1720-50.    Owner:  Mr.  I.  Sack. 

On  page  153  is  a  corner  cupboard  or  dresser — on  the  dividing  line  because 
the  lack  of  any  facing  board  above  the  main  shelf  brings  the  piece  into  close 
cousinship  with  the  dresser.  A  feature  which  gives  attraction,  and  a  sense 
of  earliness,  is  the  heavy  construction,  the  boards  being  a  flush  inch  in  thick- 
ness.   Date:  1720-30. 

On  page  154  a  corner  cupboard  belonging  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives  shows  some 
unusual  features. 

The  dresser  of  page  155  is  too  generally  found  with  its  cornice  missing. 
It  is  the  most  attractive  large  form,  following  court  cupboards,  and  was  the 
kitchen  sideboard.  It  is  now  eagerly  sought  for  those  fine  old  kitchens  which 
have  been  set  aside  as  dining  rooms,  the  cooking  being  done  in  a  new  exten- 
sion. One  reason  for  the  scarcity  of  such  dressers  is  that,  being  very  large 
pieces,  they  were  generally  built  in.  Where  they  have  been  kept  for  con- 
venience, they  have  also  been  removed  to  a  lower  back  room  and  beheaded. 
Large  numbers  of  such  headless  cupboards,  having  no  cornice,  or  tricked  out 
with  an  extemporized  molding,  are  passed  off  on  the  unsuspecting.  The 
writer  has  never  seen  an  original  without  a  cornice,  which  sometimes  coin- 
cides with  the  room  cornice.  But  as  a  rule  the  kitchen  had  no  cornice;  that 
decoration  ceasing  with  the  cupboard. 

Dressers  were  almost  invariably  of  pine,  in  New  England,  whereas  in 
Pennsylvania  they  were  often  of  walnut,  when  at  all  elaborate. 

They  continued  to  be  made  up  to  the  time  of  the  modern  hinge,  but  lost 
all  interesting  features.     Their  style  shows  deterioration  after  1780. 


[150] 


[151] 


•<:. 


f 

^ 


.  i  Aa.-4f«j»!  -,';'!*it>^-'.     itjyjS.'SAlsxir'i.ir-^::. 


A  DRESSER  from  I.  Sack,  Boston.  It  is  in  pine,  all  original,  and  has 
some  unusual  features,  as  scrolled  back  board,  and  scrolled  feet.  Also  it 
is  open  to  the  floor,  without  the  usual  cupboards.  The  cornice  which 
marks  the  usual  dresser  was  probably  not  made  on  this  piece,  which  has  a 
molded  face  board  instead.  It  stands  about  five  feet  and  a  half  high, 
by  about  four  and  a  half  feet  long. 


llS2] 


A  CORNER  Cupboard  or  Dresser,  owned  by  Mr.  Harry  Long.  It 
originated  in  Connecticut  and  is  of  pine.  An  apparently  small  detail 
gives  it  much  of  its  quaintness  and  feeling  of  antiquity.  The  boards  in- 
stead of  being  seven-eighths  are  a  flush  inch  thick,  which  affords  a  sense  of 
solidity  and  stockiness. 


[  153 


A  CORNER  Cupboard  owned  by  Mr.  George  F.  Ives  of  Danbury.  It  is 
wider  than  the  usual  style,  and  carries  the  original  strap-and-wedge  hinges. 
Such  cupboards  were  as  a  rule  made  to  fill  the  entire  space  from  floor  to 
ceiling,  the  cornice  being  continuous  with  that  of  the  room. 

[154] 


A  DRESSER  with  scroll  boards.  We  enter  here  upon  a  class  of  subjects 
which  has  lately  stirred  a  furor  of  desire.  These  pieces  are  generally  pine 
throughout,  and  the  open  sort,  without  spoon  racks,  are  mostly  New 
England  examples.  They  date  variously  from  1720  to  1790-  They  are 
mostly  found  on  the  East  Coast  of  Massachusetts. 


[155] 


THE  paneled  wall  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  Metropolitan 
Museum.  The  cross  combined 
with  the  arch  in  the  lower  section 
of  the  wainscot  is  characteristic 
of  Connecticut,  although  the  arch 
with  the  panel  is  a  very  rare 
feature  even  there. 

It  is  a  matter  of  continual  re- 
gret that  so  little  panel  work 
was  used  in  America  when  there 
was  such  abundant  wood  for  the 
purpose.  One  of  the  noblest 
rooms  in  this  country  has  cloth 
very  carefully  pasted  over  the 
tongues  of  the  panels,  so  as  to 
give  a  smooth  surface  and  then 
the  whole  is  carefully  papered 
over.  People  became  ashamed  of 
paneling,  because  their  neighbors 
did  not  have  it.  The  cupboard 
on  the  left  was  saved  from  the 
Marsh  house,  Wethersfield,  date 
about  1730. 

It  has  the  demi-dome  top,  in 
plaster,  plain.  Some  cupboards 
were  plastered,  to  the  floor,  on 
the  curved  back. 


[156] 


THE  Kitchen  of  the  very  ancient  Fairbanks  house  at  Dedham.  In  this 
case  the  dresser  is  built  against  a  remarkable  sheathed  wall,  the  boards  of 
which  run  horizontally  and  are  beautifully  molded.  The  end  boards  of  the 
dresser  are  very  boldly  and  handsomely  scrolled.  These  dressers,  as  here, 
often  ran  across  the  entire  available  wall  space  on  a  side  of  the  room.  The 
effect,  when  all  the  family  utensils  were  arranged  in  state,  was  very  good. 
One  lived  in  the  atmosphere  of  wholesome  utilities,  and  household  treasures. 

This  cupboard  may  be  seen  by  the  public,  with  the  delightful  old  house. 
We  may  doubt  if  the  cupboard  was  originally  here.  That  would  give  us  a 
date  around  1635.    We  presume  its  addition  occurred  about  1720-40. 


[157] 


A  BUILT-IN  Cupboard  in  the  famous  Benning  Wentworth  house,  at 
Little  Harbor,  New  Hampshire.  Date:  about  1745.  The  cupboard  is 
recessed  into  the  wall  of  the  house,  the  corner  post  showing,  and  being  deco- 
rated with  a  turned  piece.   It  is  a  most  ingenuous  and  pleasing  conceit. 


[158] 


A  CONNECTICUT  Press  Cupboard  from  Fairfield  County.  An  heir- 
loom in  the  Wheeler  family.  Owner:  Mr.  Winthrop  Edwards  Dwight. 
This  cupboard  shows  interesting  variations  from  the  other  two  shown, 
principally  in  the  rosettes,  or  repeated  sunflowers  on  drawer  and  architrave. 

[159  1 


IN  the  lower  cupboard  the  panel  construction  of  the  door  is  squared 
behind  and  mitered-in  part  in  front,  on  the  same  board — a  strong  and 
ingenious  device. 

The  upper  cupboard  has  a  corner  mold.  Hence  the  base  mold  is  cut  off 
before  reaching  the  corner.    Dates  of  both  pieces:  1720-40. 

[160] 


A  PENNSYLVANIAN  Dresser,  owned  by  Mr.  Arthur  W.  Wellington, 
who  has  also  two  more  very  handsome  specimens.  This  piece  shows  the 
rat-tail  hinge  which  is  characteristic  of  the  region. 


I161] 


A  WALNUT  Wardrobe,  in  the  later  Pennsylvania  style.  Owned  by  Mr. 
C.  C.  Littlefield  of  Newfields,  New  Hampshire.  It  is  a  large  piece,  nearly 
reaching  a  low  ceiling.  The  construction  of  these  cupboards,  like  that  of  the 
kas,  is  contrived  with  wedges  and  slots.     Date:   1740-70. 

I162I 


p- 


3t 


A  FINE  Dresser,  belonging  to  Shreve,  Crump  &  Low,  of  Boston.  The 
scrolling  of  the  end  boards  is  the  best  we  have  seen.  The  scrolled  cornice  is 
very  good.  Date:  the  former  part  of  the  i8th  Century.  By  an  ingenious 
offset  of  the  hinges  they  are  made  secure  by  rivets  through  the  body. 


I  163 


THE  side  of  the  parlor  in  the  Robinson  house,  Wethersfield,  built  about 
1737.  This  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  house  now  standing,  in  the  village,  but 
the  Michael  Griswold  house  may  dispute  the  claim. 

The  arrangement  shows  the  usual  panel  efiFect  of  the  period,  whereby 
an  opening  at  one  or  both  sides  of  the  fireplace  was  made  to  do  duty,  the  one 
for  the  door  of  a  shell,  or  domed,  top  cupboard,  the  other  for  a  passage  to  a 
rear  room. 

A  curious  feature  of  many  of  the  finest  domed  cupboards  is  that  their  best 
details,  the  pilasters,  are  hidden  back  of  these  large  doors  in  the  wall  panel- 
ing. One  would  say  the  paneling  came  later,  but  the  date  of  the  houses 
themselves  is  that  of  the  paneled  period. 


[164I 


ON  the  left  is  an  excel- 
lent small  cupboard, 
designed  to  be  fastened 
up  on  a  side  wall.  There 
are  arched  doors,  with 
glass  in  the  upper 
part,  and  panels  with 
long  bevels  below.  There 
is  one  shelf.  The  wood 
is  all  pine.  It  is  one 
of  the  best  and  the 
rarest  specimen  of  the 
kind .  The  date  is 
about  1700.  The 
walls  are  at  right 
J   angles. 


On  the  right  is  a  little  corner  wall 
cupboard  dating  perhaps  before  1700. 
It  is  all  original.  Owner:  the  author. 
It  has  one  of  the  earliest  types  of 
hinge.  The  wood  is  oak.  The  cup- 
board was  found  in  a  very  weathered 
condition,  in  1921.     It  is  American. 

The  smaller  pieces  of  17th  Century 
furniture  passed  out  of  sight  almost 
entirely.  There  must  have  been  a 
good  many  fascinating  cupboards  like 
the  above,  but  they  are  very  rare  now. 
An  amusing  feature  about  the  lower 
cupboard  here  shown  is  that  no  one 
knows  which  end  up  it  should  hang. 
"There  is  much  to  be  said"  in  favor  of 
both  ends!  The  absence  of  any  mold- 
ing leaves  us  without  a  guide.  For 
variety's  sake,  and  to  please  all,  it 
may  be  well  to  reverse  it  April  ist, 
annually. 


[165] 


On  the  right,  at  the  bottom 
of  this  page  is  a  httle  cup- 
board to  fasten  on  a  wall. 
Pieces  like  this  in  pine  are  ex- 
tremely rare.  This  is  probably 
to  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that  a  recessed  cupboard  was 
ordinarily  used.  Date:  1700- 
1720.  Owner:  Mr.  George  F. 
Ives. 

The  corner  cupboard  on  the 
opposite  page  is  perhaps  the 
most  important  that  has  come 
to  light.  It  stood  in  the  Jafifrey 
House  in  Portsmouth.  Owned 
by  the  Boston  Fine  Arts 
Museum.     Date:   1730. 

The  cupboard  is  remarkable 
for  its  great  bight  and  for  the 
elaborate  carving  of  the  capi- 
tals and  the  cornice.  There  is 
a  slide  under  the  large  door. 


jM^ 


THE  quaintest  little  cupboard 
which  has  fallen  under  the  au- 
thor's eye  is  this  hat  box  with 
drawers  under.  The  piece  may 
possibly  have  been  intended  to 
rest  upon  a  table  or  a  chest  of 
drawers,  but  as  now  it  could  also 
have  been  attached  to  a  wall. 

The  three  cornered  box  at  the 
top  with  its  H  hinges,  dates  the 
piece  somewhere  about  Revolu- 
tionary times  when  the  three- 
cornered  hats  were  in  vogue. 
The  hat  box  is  closed  with  its 
original  button.  Below,  the 
owner  would  have  kept  his  bands 
and  other  linen.  This  piece  is  of 
pine  like  all  other  cupboards  un- 
less otherwise  specified.  It  origi- 
nated in  New  England. 


[166] 


i67] 


ffl 


4  ^^^ 


.  .ZMmMj,^i^:^-*^'i^^.^^iiam:^-^-^ 


THE  little  recessed  cupboard  above  is  built  over  a  fireplace  in  the  Williams 
Place  in  South  Easton,  dating  from  1717.  It  shows  the  method  of  utilizing 
the  space  formed  by  the  slanting  of  the  chimney  as  it  drew  in  above  the 
fireplace,  and  is  one  of  the  earliest  examples  of  this  use.  In  the  same  house 
there  still  was  in  place  in  1920  a  diamond-pane  leaded  window,  showing  that 
such  windows  were  in  use  to  a  later  period  than  is  generally  supposed. 

There  are  also  simple  corner  cupboards  in  the  same  house  which  originally 
had  no  doors  above. 

The  habit  of  recessing  cupboards  was  very  popular  in  the  early  years  of 
the  Eighteenth  Century.  There  is  everything  to  be  said  in  favor  of  the 
fashion,  as  it  gives  economy  of  space, 
and  adds  charm  to  an  interior.  In 
some  homes  such  cupboards  took  the 
place  of  desks  for  the  preservation  of 
valuable  papers. 

A  quaint  little  set  of  hanging 
shelves  is  shown  here.  The  side- 
boards end  in  simple  pigtail  scrolls. 
It  is  of  pine.  We  can  only  judge 
by  the  rarity  of  such  simple  little 
things  of  the  slight  estimation  in 
which  they  were  held,  but  nothing 
adds  more  than  pieces  like  these  to 
the  quaint  charm  of  an  old  home. 
We  endeavor,  in  this  particular,  to 
preserve  not  only  the  notably  impor- 
tant articles  but  simpler  objects  like 
this.  The  date  is  uncertain,  perhaps 
1 8th  Century.  The  large  walnut  cup- 
board on  the  opposite  page  is  a  fine 
example,  dating  about  1740-60. 

[  168  1 


i69l 


s^ 


THE  closed  door  of  the  demi-domed  shell  top  cupboard  in  the  Webb- 
Welles  house,  Wethersfield,  shows  the  characteristic  feature  of  Connecticut 
panels,  with  the  cross  at  the  base.  The  date  is  1752.  Washington  was 
regaled  on  china  from  this  cupboard,  and  accorded  the  distinguished  privilege 
of  entering  the  parlor  where  it  is  situated — ^a  privilege  reserved  otherwise  to 
attendants  at  weddings  and  funerals  only;  attest  the  perfect  and  unworn 
condition  of  the  wide  pine  floor.  This  cupboard  is  supplied,  like  all  the 
doors  in  the  front  rooms  below,  with  the  brass  box-lock,  which  attained, 
between  1730  and  1790,  a  high  place  as  a  decorative  feature.  It  was  at  that 
period  made  with  the  drop  swing  handle,  never  with  a  knob. 


[170] 


ABOVE  is  the  interior  of  the  cupboard  described  in  the  previous  page. 
While  it  extends  to  the  ceiHng,  the  cornice  is  at  different  level  owing  to  the 
framing. 


I171I 


THE  Dining  Room  of  the  Quincy  Homestead  at  Quincy  has  a  charming 
corner  cupboard  or  more  properly  a  side  cupboard,  here  shown.  The  hidden 
appearance  of  the  pilasters  is  noticed.  The  panel  work  may  have  followed 
the  cupboard  in  date.  The  date  is  about  1740.  It  has  been  observed  that 
corner  cupboards  ceased  to  be  built  into  houses  between  1750  and  1760. 
On  the  later  date  none  was  built  in  the  very  elegant  Wentworth-Gardner 
House.  Nor  does  one  appear  in  the  beautiful  Lee  Mansion,  Marblehead. 
This  leads  us  to  feel  that  while  many  refinements  in  architecture  and  fur- 
niture came  in  after  the  middle  of  the  century,  it  is  a  question  whether  the 
losses  were  not  more  than  the  gains,  in  architecture  after  1760,  and  in  fur- 
niture after  1770.    Certainly  paneled  walls  were  more  numerous  before  1760. 


[172I 


THERE  appears  above  a  distinct  surprise  for  searchers  after  cupboards, 
if  they  have  not  seen  the  parlor  of  the  Sparhawk  house  at  Kittery. 

Here  are  two  deml-domed  shell-topped  cupboards,  opening  diagonally 
from  each  side  of  the  fireplace.  Only  one  such  cupboard  appears  here,  but 
the  second  is  identical.  The  combination  is  distinctly  beautiful.  We  cannot 
but  feel  however  that  the  projection  of  the  fireplace  into  the  room  is  a  loss 
to  the  sense  of  unity.  It  seems  to  divide  the  room.  It  cuts  off  the  length 
of  the  vista,  from  any  point  into  the  fireplace— the  focus  of  any  room.  If 
we  compare  this  method  of  construction  with  the  recessed  fireplace  style, 
we  shall  at  once  feel  the  greater  beauty,  and  especially  the  greater  charm — 
the  cosy  home  sense,  of  the  latter.  The  structural  features  here  call  for 
the  date  1745-55- 


173 


[174] 


[i75l 


A  MOST  remarkable  chair  ap- 
pears in  the  large  on  the  preceding 
page  and  a  side  view  of  the  same 
on  this  page.  It  is  owned  by  Mr. 
Paul  A.  deSilva  of  Boston  and  is  or 
was  on  exhibition  in  the  Old  State 
House,  Boston.  It  bears  this  in- 
scription: "This  chair  was  brought 
from  Lyons,  France,  in  1685,  by 
the  father  of  Nathan  Waldo. 
Nathan,  who  was  born  in  Boston, 
settled  in  Windham,  Connecticut, 
taking  this  chair.  By  one  of  the 
direct  descendants  it  was  given  to 
Rev.  John  P.  Cleveland,  D.D.,  of 
Providence,  R.  I.  It  afterward 
came  into  possession  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Jane  C.  Austen,  the  novelist, 
and  is  now  loaned  the  Bostonian 
Society  by  her  daughter,  [Mrs. 
Albert  deSilva] ." 

Now  there  are  two  odd  facts 
connected  with  this  chair:  the  arms  and  a  stretcher  are  American  cherry, 
so  pronounced  by  Mr.  Morris  Schwartz.  The  rest  of  the  chair  is  said  to 
be  American  oak.  Then,  if  American,  it  must  have  been  made  at  least  a 
hundred  years  after  its  period,  and  is  the  only  American  chair  of  the  sort. 
The  English  corner  chair  of  oak,  which  Walpole  sought,  and  examples  of 
which  are  brought  to  America,  was  never  made  here.  Of  course,  if  there 
has  been  a  slip  in  the  tradition  and  the  chair  is  American,  it  is  far  more 
important. 

There  have  been  brought  to  America  not  a  few  buffet  chairs,  as  the 
three-cornered  chairs  are  called.  They  are  turned  throughout,  and  the 
turned  pilgrim  chairs  seem  to  have  been  their  descendants  some  genera- 
tions removed.  Such  a  transition  chair  is  in  the  rooms  of  the  Connecticut 
Historical  Society  at  Hartford.  The  chair  above  should  be  of  date 
1500-1600,  if  built  in  its  period.  If  it  is  an  American  chair  it  can  hardly 
be  denied  the  highest  importance.  The  shape  of  its  arm  is  that  of  the 
oldest  American  Wainscot  chairs. 


176 


[177] 


ON  THE  previous  page  is  a  wainscot  chair  with  tape-loom  back,  owned 
by  the  author.  Chairs  Uke  that  on  the  previous  page  and  made  in  America 
are  extremely  rare.  There  may  be  half  a  dozen  known.  This  is  the 
stranger,  since  they  are  quite  common  in  England,  and  were  continued  up 
to  a  late  period.  It  is  probable  that  their  bulkiness  forbade  any  general 
importation  to  America. 

The  chair  in  question  belonged  to  Thomas  Robinson  who  removed  from 
Hartford  to  Guilford  in  the  year  1639. 

"The  Robinsons  and  their  Kin  Folk,"  a  book  printed  for  the  Robinson 
Family  Association,  contains  a  cut  of  this  chair  and  some  description  of 
Thomas  Robinson.  There  is  great  similarity  of  moldings  used  in  this  chair 
to  those  of  the  American  oak  chests.  The  sharp  scroll  of  the  under  arm  is  a 
characteristic  feature.  A  delightful  detail  is  the  tape-loom  back.  This 
chair  was  undoubtedly  built  with  a  solid  back,  and  some  time  after  the 
weaver  of  the  family  conceived  the  idea  of  cutting  her  tape-loom  in  a  solid 
plain  panel.  Thus  she  had  always  a  loom  set  up  which  was  stable  and 
actually  added  to  the  comfort  of  the  chair.  It  gave  the  back  some  springi- 
ness. The  holes  for  the  yarn  were  burnt  through  with  a  hot  iron.  The 
reeding  is  somewhat  crudely  done  showing  less  attention  for  precision  than 
in  the  original  chair. 

An  effort  has  been  made  to  connect  the  original  owner  of  this  chair  with 
the  Pilgrim  Robinsons,  but  without  substantial  results.  The  original  John 
Robinson,  pastor  of  the  Pilgrims  in  Leyden,  remained  behind  in  the  old 
world  for  a  very  excellent  reason,  to  pay  his  debts,  the  reason  which  perhaps 
has  driven  some  immigrants  to  the  new  world,  instead  of  keeping  them  at 
home. 

Date:  1620-40. 

The  chair  opposite  is  in  the  possession  of  Yale  University  and  is  in  the 
President's  room.  It  belonged  to  Rector  Pierson  of  the  College,  and  bears 
an  inscription  to  that  effect.  It  will  be  observed  that  in  this  example  the 
scroll  on  the  under  side  of  the  arm  is  developed  and  carried  out  under  the 
frame  of  the  seat.  The  simplicity  of  this  chair  as  compared  with  the 
English  types  is  marked. 

Date:  1 640-1 660. 

There  are  supposed  to  be  less  than  six  wainscot  chairs  of  American  origin, 
of  which  we  show  three.  This  remark  may  call  out  the  knowledge  of  other 
specimens. 


[178] 


[  179] 


THE  Wainscot  Chair  gets  its  name  from  the  original  meaning  of  wain- 
scot, which  is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  studies  in  etymology.  There  is 
hidden  a  great  deal  of  history  in  the  word.  The  common  English  word  for  a 
large  wagon,  a  wain,  is  the  forepart  of  the  word;  the  schot  (English  shot), 
meaning  partition.  That  is,  wainscot  was  the  best  kind  of  oak  for  panel 
work,  such  as  was  used  in  wagons.  We  say  oak,  because  those  who  used  the 
term  first,  always  thought  of  the  construction  as  in  oak,  and  in  England 
today  wainscot  means  oak  panels  suitable  for  wall  partitions.  Elderly 
Americans  who  lived  in  New  England  can  well  remember  when  the  sides  of 
wagons  were  paneled,  in  long  curves,  on  boat-shaped  sides.  So  persistent 
is  the  tradition  of  cabinet  makers. 

The  word  wainscot  as  generally  used  today  is  sought  to  be  confined  in 
meaning  to  a  wall  completely  paneled  to  the  ceiling,  as  distinct  from  a  dado, 
or  low  panel-work.  But  the  distinction  can  hardly  be  made  good,  in  early 
usage. 

The  wainscot  chair  therefore  was  an  oak  chair  with  panel  work,  and  so 
of  course  with  solid  back.  It  is  little  wonder  we  have  so  few  of  them,  as  a  new 
country  had  little  time  or  place  for  such  cumbersome  furniture.  The  three 
shown  here,  the  Gov.  Leete  chair  on  the  next  page,  the  Rector  Pierson  chair, 
and  the  Thos.  Robinson  chair  on  pages  177  and  179  are  about  one-half  of 
the  American  wainscot  chairs  known.  The  desire  for  a  light  chair  of  course 
consigned  many  early  solid  back  chairs  to  the  fire.  Among  this  number 
we  do  not  find  any  that  are  carved,  so  far  as  known.  Some  carved  speci- 
mens are  obviously  over-restored.  The  wainscot  chair  was  not  built  for 
a  surface  to  ornament,  but  as  a  matter  of  custom  and  dignity.  There  are 
some  six,  then,  uncarved.  This  is  not  remarkable,  as  out  of  a  half  dozen 
one  would  hardly  look  for  carving,  which  would  not  be  likely  to  occur  often. 
We  can  only  presume,  since  we  do  not  know,  that  there  were  carved  wainscot 
chairs  of  American  manufacture.  The  inventories  seldom  use  the  word 
"carved"  in  descriptions  of  furniture.  Of  course,  if  the  De  Silva  chair 
is  counted  as  a  wainscot,  which  would  be  straining  a  point,  we  have  carving 
there.     But  the  case  is  sporadic,  as  the  particular  piece  was  out  of  period. 

The  Gov.  Leete  chair  opposite,  in  the  Stone  House,  Guilford,  like  the 
other  wainscot  chairs  shown  has  its  top  rail  mortised  between  the  posts, 
rather  than  capping  the  posts,  as  so  often  seen  in  England.  This  is  a 
better  construction.  The  arched  back  afforded  a  head  rest.  The  turnings 
are  the  oldest  type. 


[180I 


[i8i] 


THE  BREWSTER  CHAIR.  The  piece  opposite  is  possibly  thejinest 
example  that  has  ever  come  to  light,  being  altogether  original.  It  was 
purchased  of  Mr.  John  Tufts,  formerly  of  Sherborn,  Massachusetts,  by  the 
author.  Mr.  Tufts  stated  that  the  chair  had  been  in  his  family  eight  gener- 
ations of  record.  The  posts  are  two  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  and  the 
chair  has  lost  nothing  but  the  balls  on  the  front  posts  which  have  been 
restored  since  this  picture  was  made.  All  the  spindles  are,  we  believe, 
original.     It  has  now  passed  out  of  the  author's  hands. 

Comparing  this  chair  with  the  Elder  Brewster  chair  from  which  such 
types  derived  their  name,  and  which  is  in  Pilgrim  Hall  in  Plymouth,  it 
appears  that  the  original  is  in  a  far  less  perfect  state  of  preservation  than 
the  one  here  shown,  a  good  part  of  the  spindles  of  the  Plymouth  example 
being  missing  and  its  posts  being  of  lighter  construction.  Also  it  lacks  the 
upper  turned  rail  in  the  back.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Brewster  chair  is 
found  with  a  wooden  seat  whereas  the  Carver  chairs  which  follow  are 
usually  rushed.     Of  course,  the  wood  seat  is  the  older  type. 

The  finials  of  the  piece  before  us  are  especially  noteworthy  and  it  is 
remarkable  also  that  it  seems  to  have  lost  almost  nothing  of  its  hight 
beyond  the  slight  necessary  wear. 

Regarding  the  origin  of  such  pieces  it  should  be  pointed  out  that  Benn  in 
his  "Style  in  Furniture,"  a  very  full  and  careful  work,  was  obliged  to  send 
to  America  for  pictures  of  the  Brewster  and  the  Carver  chairs.  The  con- 
clusion is  inevitable  that  such  pieces  were  either  made  in  America  or  that 
they  came  from  Holland.  The  writer  does  not  believe  that  either  the 
Elder  Brewster  or  the  Governor  Carver  chair  came  in  the  Mayflower,  or 
indeed  any  other  known  pieces  of  furniture. 

Date:  1620-40. 

The  chairs  of  both  types  are  almost  invariably  in  ash,  a  very  poor  ma- 
terial, as  it  splits  too  easily  and  in  all  specimens  there  is  shown  a  tendency 
to  chip  away  at  the  bottom  or  elsewhere.  Further,  it  doesn't  lend  itself  to 
delicate  turning  as  the  wood  is  too  coarse  in  grain. 

We  have  to  help  us  in  solving  this  riddle  the  fact  that  at  first  all  lumber 
was  riven.  Ash  was  used  in  England;  it  split  smoothly  and  easily,  and  John 
Alden  was  the  skilled  man  among  the  Pilgrims  to  attend  to  this  work. 
It  was  the  best  available  wood  for  preparing  quickly  material  for  turning. 


[  182 


(i83l 


{ 


I 


ON  the  next  page  is  a  Brewster  chair  owned  by  Mrs.  Francis  H.  Lincoln 
of  Hingham.  Its  date  is  1620-40.  There  are  some  records  and  traditions 
regarding  this  chair  which  should  perhaps  lead  us  to  call  it  a  Myles  Standish 
chair.  It  is  said  the  chair  belonged  to  that  doughty  Pilgrim  father;  was 
inherited  by  his  grand-daughter,  and  so  came  down  to  the  present.  The 
record  is  that  Isaac  Sampson  married  Lydia  Standish,  daughter  of  Miles  and 
Sarah  (Alden)  Standish.  The  son  of  Lydia  was  Jonathan,  born  1687,  who 
married  Joanna  Lucas.  George  (3)  Sampson  married  Hannah  Soule. 
Caleb  (2)  Standish  married  Mercy  Standish.     {Boston  Transcript,  4031.) 

A  Mr.  Huggins  from  Maine  married  Miss  Sampson,  daughter  of  the 
Sampson  who  married  Lydia  Standish.  The  chair  remained  in  the  Huggins 
family  till  the  marriage  of  his  grand-daughter  to  A.  C.  Hill,  from  whom  it 
came  into  the  possession  of  Miss  Mary  S.  Baker,  and  from  her  was  inherited 
by  the  present  owner.  The  expert  in  evidence  will  drive  a  coach  and  four 
between  some  of  these  lines.  But  there  is  a  better  proof  in  the  chair  itself . 
Its  posts  reach  a  diameter  of  2  11-16  inches  in  places.  Its  type  carries  it 
well  into  the  first  Pilgrim  generation.  As  such  great  chairs  were  rare,  always, 
one  feels  strongly  that  with  Carver  and  Brewster  represented  by  their 
chairs,  it  is  more  than  probable,  since  we  have  a  Standish  tradition,  that  it  is 
correct.  He  was  the  third  or  the  fourth  in  importance  among  the  Pilgrims, 
and  Edward  Winslow  had  a  wainscot  chair  of  state. 

The  chair  had  lost  its  spindles  under  the  arms.  When  the  Ship  Church, 
Hingham,  was  deprived  of  some  of  its  old  fittings,  spindles  from  the  pews 
(late  17th  Century)  were  used  to  repair  the  chair.  They  fell  short  of  the 
seat  rail,  into  which  they  should  go;  hence  the  square  rail  introduced  to 
receive  them.  The  bottom  of  the  chair  has  been  cut  off.  It  had  two  rungs 
in  front  and  on  each  side,  and  one  at  the  back.  The  spindles  were  turned 
like  those  on  page  183,  and  then  flattened.    The  front  balls  are  a  restoration. 

Two  or  three  more  Brewsters,  though  known,  cannot  yet  be  secured  for 
museums.  The  greater  pity  as  no  museum  has  one  except  Pilgrim  Hall  at 
Plymouth. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  and  various  other  museums  had  an  opportu- 
nity to  acquire  the  chair  on  page  183  but  did  not  exercise  it.  May  a  grain  of 
love  for  our  early  history  sometime  sprout  in  the  powers  that  be,  that,  from 
millions  expended  on  museum  material,  a  wee  fraction  may  be  allotted  to  the 
unique  belongings  of  the  settlers  of  America. 


[184 


i85 


THE  picture  above  represents  the  supposed  front  of  a  livery  cupboard 
in  oak.  It  was  found  in  the  Capen  House  at  Topsfield.  The  frame  is  in 
oak.    We  do  not  know  of  any  other  very  ancient  American  specimen. 

Of  great  interest  are  the  turnings  as  they  very  closely  resemble  those  on 
the  ancient  chairs  in  this  work.  It  is  not  beyond  the  realm  of  the  possible 
that  the  backs  of  the  Brewster  and  the  Carver  chairs  were  suggested  by 
the  spindle  work  on  livery  cupboards. 

It  is  supposed  the  cupboard  on  which  this  front  was  used  hung  on  the 
wall,  though  why  that  conclusion  has  been  reached  the  author  does  not 
know. 

There  is  also  in  the  Capen  House  a  hutch  which  was  found  in  an  old 
farmhouse  about  three  miles  away.  This  is  the  only  ancient  specimen 
which  we  know  of  the  English  type  found  in  this  country.  The  door  dif- 
ferentiates it  from  our  chest  and  the  result  is  what  might  be  called  either 
a  hutch  or  a  cupboard.  One  of  the  best  points  about  it  is  the  fact  that 
the  back  legs  are  made  shorter  than  those  in  front.  The  ancient  sills  of 
the  houses  projected  into  the  rooms  and  no  doubt  the  short  legs  rested  on 
the  sill  as  now  in  the  Capen  House.  The  specimen  has  a  restored  lid  and 
inside  shelf  but  the  rest  is  absolutely  as  found.  Mr.  George  Francis  Dow 
has  furnished  the  author  with  the  photograph  of  the  livery  cupboard 
front  and  with  this  information. 


[186] 


A  BREWSTER-TRANSITION  Chair  in  the  Geo.  F.  Ives  Collection. 
Description  on  the  opposite  page. 


[187] 


[i88] 


r 


I 


[189 


ON  the  preceding  page  is  a  remarkably  heavy  fine  Carver,  owned  by 
Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash.  The  back  spindles  are  very  short.  The  finials 
are  very  large  and  elaborately  carved.     The  date  is  1620-60. 

On  this  page  is  a  sport,  an  interesting  chair  owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives. 
Its  spindles  go  directly  into  the  seat  rail.  It  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the 
usual  Carver,  but,  the  turnings  being  heavy,  it  loses  nothing  by  its  reduced 
size.  The  seat  is  slipped  in,  panel-wise,  and  is  of  wood.  Its  date  may  be 
1630-60. 

In  many  cases  the  last,  most  delicate  member  of  a  finial  is  broken  off; 
the  wood  remaining  is  then  smoothed,  and  only  attention  to  this  detail 
reveals  the  loss.  The  front  ball,  heading  the  arm  posts,  is  more  often  missing 
than    present. 


I  190  ] 


[191] 


ON  the  preceding  page  is  the  beautiful  Carver,  owned  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Beh- 
rend.  The  triple  spindles  are  elaborately  turned.  The  posts  are  ly^  inches 
in  diameter.  The  limit  of  massiveness  so  far  discovered,  and  about  the 
same  as  the  chair  on  page  189.     Date:  16:20-50. 

On  this  page  are  two  Carvers  owned  by  the  author.  They  are  rather 
light,  I J^  and  2  inches  in  diameter  of  the  posts.  That  on  the  left  is  rather 
dainty  for  a  Carver.     Dates:  about  1650-80. 

On  the  next  page  is  a  very  fine  specimen  of  a  leaning-back  Carver.  It 
i^  said  to  have  been  found  in  Fall  River.  The  turnery  is  very  handsome; 
the  back  finials  are  distinguished.  It  is  built  with  rake  backward  for  com- 
fort. The  posts  are  heavy,  and  the  chair  is  as  good  as  any  specimen  we 
have  seen.  It  belongs  to  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour,  and  is  in  the  Wads- 
worth  Atheneum,  Hartford.    Date:  1630-60. 

There  are  several  Carvers  coming  to  light  annually.  When  Dr.  Lyon 
wrote  he  knew  of  only  fifteen.  The  author  estimates  ten  times  as  many 
are  now  known,  but  only  a  half  dozen  of  the  very  heavy  sort. 


I  192  ] 


™ 


If 


ljj>j^i^^ 


[193] 


AT  the  left  is  a  heavy 
side  Carver  Chair.  It 
has  probably  lost  some- 
thing from  the  finials. 
The  ball  turning  of  the 
top  spindle  is  quite  un- 
usual in  Carvers.  This 
chair  is  high.  It  is 
painted  black.  Owner: 
Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend. 
Date:  1630-60. 

It  had,  until  quite 
lately,  been  presumed 
that  side  Carver  chairs 
were  always  light,  or 
what  are  called  in  Con- 
necticut, "lady"  chairs. 
But  recently  three  heavy 
examples  have  come  to 
the  attention  of  collec- 
tors, as  heavy  as  fine 
early  specimens  of  arm 
Carvers.  The  writer  in- 
clines tobelieve  that  these 
chairs  have  only  recent- 
ly been  recognized  by 
searchers.  If  this  view 
is  correct,  we  are  likely 
to  have  a  considerable 
addition  made  to  our  list 
of  such  chairs. 

On  the  next  page  is, 
perhaps,  an  unique  child's 
high  Carver.  The  turn- 
ings are  very  heavy,  and  it  has  the  "panel"  seat.  It  adds  to  the  regular 
features  of  the  Car\'er  a  fine  intermediate  turning  between  the  arm  and  the 
seat.  These  turnings, — arm  and  intermediate,  are  elaborate.  The  chair 
seems  to  be  of  walnut  and  is  very  heavy.  It  belongs  to  the  author.  Date: 
1660-80. 


[  194] 


[i9Sl 


^yy; 


[196 


ABOVE  on  the  left  is  a  Carver  chair,  owned  by  the  author.  It  has  a 
very  fine  arm  turning.  On  the  right  is  another  Carver,  owned  by  the 
author.  It  has  a  panel  seat  thinned  at  the  edges  and  inserted  in  grooves 
of  the  frame  rungs.     Dates:  1660-1690. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  a  remarkable  high  chair  in  the  possession  of  the 
Worcester  Antiquarian  Society.  Although  this  piece  has  been  repeatedly 
shown  before,  it  being  one  of  very  few  of  which  that  is  true,  in  this  book, 
we  cannot  refrain  from  reproducing  it  again  and  more  carefully.  It  is  said 
to  have  belonged  to  Cotton  Mather. 

The  finials  are  almost  precisely  the  same  as  that  of  the  Brewster  chair 
shown  on  page  183. 

It  also  has  some  other  Brewster  features.     Date:  1630-50. 


I  197 


A  CHILD'S  Caner 
Chair,  owned  by  the  au- 
thor. There  are  only  two 
low  chairs  of  this  style 
that  the  writer  has  seen, 
but  of  course  others  may 
exist.  This  chair  may 
have  had  small  finials  at 
the  back.  It  is  now  ab- 
solutely unrestored,  and 
while  the  picture  of  it  is 
sizable  the  chair  itself  is 
very  small,  the  seat  being 
only  seven  inches  from 
the  floor.  It  is  especially 
pleasing  to  be  able  to 
trace  these  Carver  chairs 
through  their  various 
adaptations.  Thus  we 
have  a  low  and  a  high 
baby  Carver  chair,  side 
Carvers,  and  large  arm 
Carvers  of  different  sizes. 
In  the  example  before 
us  there  is  very  extreme 
wear  on  the  fronts  of  the 
posts  where  the  chair  has 
been  dragged  about  by 
children.  This  mark  of 
use  is  especially  appealing  as  it  mdicates  that  the  piece  has  been  concerned 
as  a  comrade  in  the  joys  of  childhood.  It  was  bought  in  Connecticut  and 
is  of  ash. 

The  habitat  of  the  Carver  chair  is  defined  fairly  well.  While  many  of  the 
earliest  and  finest  specimens  are  found  near  the  Massachusetts  shore,  a 
considerable  number  have  appeared  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  and  a  few 
in  Rhode  Island. 

The  delightful  variants  in  type  cannot  be  correlated  to  locations  with 
any  degree  of  satisfaction.  No  two  of  these  chairs  are  alike,  nor  are  they 
so  similar  as  to  be  confused  with  each  other  for  a  moment.  Nevertheless, 
there  is  a  mark  of  unmistakable  family  likeness.     The  date  may  be  1630-70. 


miKSKtMiiffi*i>»tr*»er-.^  "^ 


[198] 


THE  bringing  to  light 
of  several  fine  side  Car- 
vers of  late,  has  added 
much  to  our  interesting 
specimens.  The  example 
here,  belonging  to  the 
author,  v^^as  found  on  the 
South  Shore.  Its  date  is 
early,  because  the  posts 
are  heavy,  being  2  inches 
in  diameter.  Perhaps 
1630-50  would  be  a  fair 
date.  The  object  of  very 
great  interest  regarding 
it  is  the  remarkable 
similarity  between  the 
finials  and  those  of  the 
great  standard  Brewster, 
page  185.  The  feet  of 
this  chair  are  pieced, 
and  correctly.  The  rungs 
are  too  low  to  take 
another  set  below  them. 
Compare  the  chairs  on 
the  next  page. 

Another  side  Carver 
has  been  heard  of  better 
than  this,  it  having  never 
lost  its  feet.  The  speci- 
men is  not  now  available 
for  a  picture.  A  pair 
of  such  chairs  would 
certainly  supply  a  fine 
setting  with   a  great   arm  Carver. 

When  we  use  the  name  Brewster  we  do  not  intend  to  convey  any 
idea  that  a  recognized  style,  like  that  we  call  a  Brewster,  existed.  The 
three  or  four  known  examples  of  Brewsters,  all  different,  do  not  give 
sufficient  data  for  a  style. 


199] 


A  PAIR  of  Side  Carver  Chairs,  the  property  of  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
The  arm  chair  in  a  Carver  style  is  the  usual  thing,  so  much  so  that  some 
do  not  know  of  the  existence  of  the  side  chair.  We  have  before  us  a  pair 
made  to  match,  and  though  somewhat  worn  down,  still  having  their  original 
finials.  There  is  very  rapid  declension  in  size  from  the  arm  chair.  Perhaps 
a  dozen  to  a  score  of  side  Carvers  have  been  discovered  and  all  but  three 
are  of  this  light  type.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  turning  of  the  three  vertical 
spindles  is  an  almost  precise  counterpart  of  that  in  the  arm  chairs. 

Date:  1640-80. 

These  two  chairs  were  found  in  Southern  New  Hampshire.  The  seats  of 
the  Carver  side  chairs  were  generally  low,  which  indicates  that  they  were 
probably  made  for  sewing  chairs  and  all  their  dimensions  point  to  their 
being  designed  for  the  feminine  portion  of  the  family. 


[  200  ] 


A  CARVER  Chair, 
owned  by  the  author. 
This  piece  is  somewhat 
stocky,  the  diameter  of 
the  legs  being  two  and 
a  quarter  inches.  It  is 
original  except  the  balls 
on  the  front  posts.  It 
is  painted  black.  The 
simplicity  and  generous 
size  of  the  turnings  in- 
dicate a  date  from 
1630-1650. 

In  this  case  the  arm 
is  turned  simply.  The 
three  vertical  spindles 
are  unusual,  being  ra- 
ther fat,  and  apparent- 
ly made  from  a  vague 
memory.  It  was  found 
on  the  South  Shore  of 
Massachusetts,  where 
perhaps  Carvers  are 
most  numerous,  as 
would  naturally  be  the 
case.  Fine  furniture, 
in  the  sense  of  expen- 
sive and  ornate,  is  not 
found  to  any  consider- 
able extent  in  the  Ply- 
mouth colony  as  the 
poorness  of  the  land  and  the  original  condition  of  the  colonists,  who  were 
seldom  men  of  substance,  leads  us  to  look  for  simple  furniture  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  settlements.  At  the  same  time,  we  gain  a  native  flavor,  and  ex- 
amples of  early  Yankee  ingenuity,  in  the  provision  of  our  forefathers  for 
themselves  of  articles  which  they  were  unable  to  buy  either  from  lack  of  a 
market  or  a  purse. 

Often  the  Carver  is  found  converted  into  a  rocker  and  cut  down  from  one 
to  three  inches,  and  the  balls  of  the  front  posts  are  usually  lacking.  It  is 
hardly  probable  that  the  original  seat  remains  in  any  of  these  chairs.  At 
least  it  is  absurd  to  maintain  that  the  seat  is  original  as  there  is  no  possible 
way  of  proving  it. 

[201  ] 


ON  the  left  is  what  we  have  named  a 
pilgrim  slat  back.  It  is  of  the  same 
period  as  the  Carvxr  and  Brewster. 
Its  only  variation  from  the  Carver  is 
in  the  back,  which  has  from  two  to  four 
slats.  This  specimen  dates  about  1650. 
On  the  next  page  is  a  truly  superb 
example  of  a  "four  back"  pilgrim  chair. 
Owner:  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney.  It  is  the 
finest  of  this  type  that  we  have  seen. 
The  arms  are  flat.  It  has  a  massive 
intermediate  spindle.  The  finials  are 
almost  Gothic.  The  turnings  are  some- 
what later  than  the  earliest  chairs,  which 
never  show  any  decorative  turning 
below  the  seat.  The  slats  are  most 
fascinating.  The  chair  is  very  large. 
The  date,  from  massiveness  should  be 
1640,  but  judged  by  the  turning  we 
place  it  1670-80. 
It  is  more  difficult,  to  the  surprise  of  most  collectors,  to  find  fine  examples 
of  pilgrim  slat  backs,  than  good  Carvers.  The  light  types,  with  four  or 
five  slats,  dating  1700,  are  common.  Of  course  one  would  be  unwise  to 
presume  that  more  than  a  score  of  the  first  pilgrim  generation  of  these 
chairs  exist. 

One  should  very  carefully  distinguish  in  the  use  of  the  term  "pilgrim 
slat-back."  It  is  often  confined  to  three  slats,  sometimes  to  only  two,  and 
never  more  than  four.  The  simplicity  of  the  turning  and  the  great  weight 
of  the  chair,  mark  it  as  of  an  earlier  period  than  the  New  England  slat- 
back.  It  is  only  necessary  to  see  the  two  sorts  together,  for  they  vary 
greatly  in  massiveness.  For  instance,  the  examples  on  pages  204  and  205 
are  obvious  17th  Century  pieces. 


[  202  ] 


[203  ] 


A  HEAVY  Pilgrim  Slat-back  Chair.  This  example  is  probably  unique 
as  to  its  massiveness.  The  total  hight  is  38  inches  and  the  seat  is  225^  by 
I5J^.  It  seems  not  to  have  been  cut  down  more  than  an  inch,  yet  the 
seat  is  but  13  inches  high.     It  is  owned  by  the  author.     Date:  1620-50. 


I  204  1 


[20S  ] 


ABOVE  are  a  pair  of  pilgrim  "three  back"  side  chairs.  Of  course  the 
seats  should  be  rush.  Their  stocky  appearance  leads  us  to  determine  the 
date  at  about  1670-90.    They  belong  to  the  author. 

On  the  next  page  is  a  large  chair  with  arched  slats,  molded.  Owner: 
Mr.  Geo  F.  Ives.  Date:  1630-60.  The  general  appearance  of  the  chair 
suggests  Italian  influence.  The  chair,  however,  came  from  the  remote 
country  district — Vermont. 

The  seat  of  this  chair  is  18x21  inches  and  20  inches  high.  The  back  is 
48  inches  high. 

On  the  preceding  page  is  a  heavy  pilgrim  slat-back.  Owner:  Mr.  Chaun- 
cey  C.  Nash.  Date:  1630-50.  This  stocky  chair,  with  the  fine  flavor  of 
the  first  pilgrim  generation,  has  recently  come  to  light.  Except  that  the 
tips  of  the  finials  are  missing,  we  can  give  the  strongest  endorsement  to 
this  pleasing  appealing  example.  It  is  in  the  soft  natural  color,  with  excellent 
surface. 


I206I 


S' 


207  1 


THE  Child's  High  Chair  here 
shown,  with  five  back  spindles 
is  an  interesting  variant.  The 
owner  is  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives,  and 
the  date  is  perhaps  1700-20. 
The  top  and  bottom  rails  of  the 
back  are  flat  pieces.  The  turn- 
ing of  the  arm  suggests  the  17th 
century.  The  balls,  or  pear 
terminations  of  the  front  legs 
have  suffered  somewhat. 

The  lore  of  high  chairs  is  an 
amusing  study.  The  author 
has  photographs  of  about  fifty, 
of  low  and  high  degree.  The 
question  whether  a  foot  rest  is 
correct  for  an  early  chair  must 
be  answered  in  the  affirmative. 
Likewise  we  may  say  many 
early  high  chairs  had  no  foot 
rest.  This  one  has  a  worn  rung 
which  served  as  a  foot  rest. 
Whether  the  love  for  children 
has  grown  cold,  or  for  whatever 
reason  no  fine  child's  chairs  are 
made  now-a-days. 

In  case  there  was  no  bar 
across  in  front  of  a  child,  a 
leathern  thong  could  be  strapped 
across  attached  to  the  posts. 
In  this  case  they  show  wear  as 
if  from  such  use.  The  equili- 
brium of  the  chair  was  better 
maintained  without  the  project- 
ing foot  rest.       in  the  best  examples  it  has  been  lost. 

There  is  no  trace  of  the  use  of  a  tray  attached  to  a  high  chair.  In  modern 
use  such  trays  are  thought  necessary,  but  the  early  use  was  confined  to 
meal  time  only,  and  children  were  obliged  to  behave  with  decorum — if 
we  believe  all  we  read.  Besides,  the  feeding  of  babes  by  Eve's  method 
was  the  rule  in  those  days. 


[208] 


A  BANISTER-BACK  Child's  f 
High  Chair.  Owner:  Mr.  George 
Dudley  Seymour.  Date:  1700-20. 
The  chair  was  found  at  Milford, 
Connecticut.  The  banisters  are 
reeded.  The  cresting  or  top  rail  is 
profiled  and  pierced  to  produce  the 
"crown  and  heart"  design.  A  part 
of  the  top  rail  is  missing.  The 
turned  intermediate  spindle  under 
the  arm  is  excellent.  The  chair  is 
maple,  was  never  painted  or  restored. 
It  has  lost  something  in  hight.  It 
was  given  to  Elizabeth  Davidson  of 
Milford  by  her  father.  She  married 
Abner  Perry  in  1795,  and  the  chair 
has  been  held  by  their  descendants 
till  the  owner  bought  it  in  1921. 

On  page  210  we  begin  to  show  a 
fine  collection  of  mushroom  chairs,  a 
variant  and  successor  of  the  pilgrim 
slat  back. 

One  readily  sees  that  the  horizon-    | 
tal  spindle,  under  the  arm,  served     ' 
to  strengthen  the  chair,  to  keep  its 
occupant   in   place,  and   to  enhance 
the  appearance  of  the  chair. 

The  transition  from  an  all-turned     | 
chair  to  a  banister  back  was  in  the 
interest     of    comfort,     as    the    flat 
banisters    were     agreeable    to    lean     ; 
against,  whereas  turned  spindles  were    | 
not.      Further,  no  bending  was    re- 
quired as  in  the  Pilgrim  slat-backs. 

Compare  with  chairs  on  pages  259 
to  262,  where  we  find  the  inspiration  for  this  chair. 

We  are  compelled  by  the  exigencies  of  assembling  the  volume  to  place 
this  chair  out  of  its  proper  position. 


I  209] 


» 


I210I 


[2ll] 


ON  page  2IO  is  a  small  mushroom  chair.  It  is  owned  by  Mrs.  W.  B.  Long 
of  Boston .  We  cannot  too  often  impress  the  reader  with  the  fact  that  nothing 
is,  or  can  be,  shown  in  scale.  This  is  of  course  true  of  all  furniture  books, 
but  especially  true  here,  because  we  are  trying  to  show  details,  and  often 
give  a  large  cut  for  a  small  piece.    Date:  about  1700. 

On  page  211  is  a  very  fine  mushroom  chair  owned  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend. 
It  was  in  the  Lyon  volume.     Date:  about  1690. 

On  this  page  are  two  mushroom  chairs  owned  by  the  author.  The  ban- 
ister-back helps  us  date  these  chairs.  The  style  of  enlarging  the  top  of  the 
front  post  came  in,  occasionally  in  the  17th  Century,  and  continued  into  the 
early  i8th  Century.  The  chair  on  the  right  has  the  slanting  arm,  an  early 
and  good  style.  It  dates  about  1700;  the  other  possibly  a  trifle  later.  They 
were  found  near  Boston.  The  slant  arm  chair  is  in  ash.  The  other  is  maple, 
and  a  more  suitable,  but  later,  wood. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  a  humorously  huge  mushroom  chair  in  the 
author's  collection.  The  chair  also  rakes  sharply  backwards,  seven  inches 
from  the  perpendicular.  The  mushrooms,  in  seasoning,  have  flattened 
nearly  a  quarter  inch.     It  was  found  in  Southern  Connecticut. 

Size:  Top  slat,  sH  inches  wide;  each  slat  below  diminishing  a  quarter 
inch.  Width,  over  all,  32^4  inches;  seat  283^  x  22  inches;  back  posts,  46^ 
inches;  front  posts  30^^  inches.     Date:  1680-1720. 

[212  1 


A  GREAT  Double  Mushroom  Chair;  further  described  on  opposite  page. 
It  was  evidently  designed  to  be  the  father  of  chairs  of  this  type. 

I213I 


THE  room  shown  is  the  fine  reproduction  of  antique  framing  in  the 
parlor  of  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend's  house.  It  is  a  suggestion  to  those  who  have, 
as  he  has,  fine  examples  of  Seventeenth  Century  furniture  and  who  wish 
to  form  a  proper  setting  for  it.  It  is  true  that  old  materials  may  often  be 
secured  and  worked  into  such  a  room  with  a  greater  quaintness  of  effect  and 
a  closer  approximation  to  the  mellowing  influence  of  the  past.  The  room 
shows  pieces  most  of  which  are  elsewhere  described  in  this  volume,  though 
the  quaint  little  stool  with  only  one  leg  in  the  back  is  not  elsewhere  seen. 
It  seems  an  adaptation  of  a  milking  stool,  with  a  back  rest.  Here  I  pro- 
pound the  subtle  inquiry,  why  was  a  milking  stool  made  with  three  legs 
while  of  all  seats  made  in  the  world  it  needed  to  be  better  based  than  the 
ordinary  chair?  So  far  as  our  views  are  concerned  we  want  to  say  that 
from  experience  with  the  portion  of  the  cow  suggested,  we  enter  a  proposal 
that  all  milking  stools  should  have  five  legs,  like  one  in  the  collection  of 
Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives. 


1  214  1 


THE  Chair  at  the  right  ^ 
has  very  large  mush- 
rooms. The  large  chair 
at  the  bottom  of  page 
217  is  a  combination  of  a 
pilgrim  slat  back,  a  mush- 
room, and  a  Brewster 
suggestion.  The  little 
child's  chair  by  its  side 
is  the  only  mushroom  in 
that  size  known  to  the 
author,  who  owns  the 
three  chairs.  Date,  on 
the  "combination,"  about 
1680;  on  the  others  1690- 
1710. 

At  the  top  of  page  216 
are  two  mushroom  chairs 
of  excellent  type.  The 
"sausage"  turnings  on 
the  chair  at  the  left, 
together  with  the  slant 
arm,  give  it  merit. 
Owner:  Mr.  Arthur  W. 
Wellington. 

On  the  right  on  page 
216  is  a  mushroom  chair 
with  a  finely  scrolled  set 
of  slats. 

The  sizes  of  posts  of 
chairs  are  generally  above  two  inches  if  they  reach  back  to  the  first  pil- 
grim generation.  The  largest  posts  are  hardly  two  and  three  quarter 
inches.  After  1660  we  begin  to  find  posts  of  two  inches  diameter  the 
rule.  After  1680  the  posts  are  often  only  an  inch  and  three  quarters. 
Something  must  be  allowed  for  the  style  of  the  chair,  and  its  size,  in 
general.  Side  chairs  have  posts  averaging  about  a  quarter  inch  smaller 
than  those  of  arm  chairs,  of  the  same  style.  How  the  term  side  chair, 
for  a  chair  without  arms,  originated,  we  do  not  know.  In  some  regions 
side  chairs  are  called  'Mady"  chairs.  That  is,  they  were  intended  for 
woman's  use. 


I  215] 


ON  the  next  page,  at  the  top,  from  the  author's  collection,  a  Pilgrim  slat 
back  with  three  slats  rounded  in  the  most  usual  fashion  but  with  very  good 
finials.  The  front  balls  are  missing.  The  arms  are  in  what  we  may  call  the 
flat  turning;  that  is  to  say,  turned  pieces  which  are  substantially  flattened 
for  comfort  and  convenience,  and  which  preceded  the  so-called  shaped  arm. 
The  slat  back  chair  persisted  to  a  late  date,  well  into  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury, in  fact,  whereas  the  Carver  and  the  Brewster  ceased  to  be  made. 

The  rather  common  side  chair  with  slats  which  was  used  in  kitchens 
throughout  the  Eighteenth  Century  was  merely  a  lighter  type  of  the  Pilgrim 
slat  back,  and  was  made  in  very  small  turnings.  On  the  other  hand  the  arm 
slat  back  seems  to  have  gone  out  of  use  earlier  than  the  side  chair,  which  is 
one  more  mystery  connected  with  antique  furniture. 

Size:  Hight  42  inches;  seat  hight  15  inches;  seat  size  23^4  by  16  inches. 

A  "Near"  Carver  appears  on  the  right,  from  the  author's  collection.  It 
is  heavily  turned. 

Returning  to  the  large  chair  on  page  217  at  the  bottom:  It  is  in  all 
respects  original  except  a  bit  of  slat,  and  the  large  fist-like  balls  which  are 
turned  as  a  part  of  the  posts  are  extraordinary.  An  inch  or  two  has,  however, 
been  lost  at  the  bottom.  We  can  conceive  no  use  in  the  row  of  spindles 
in  front  except  to  strengthen  the  chair.  Thus,  while  this  truss  work  pre- 
vented side  rack,  the  spindles  under  the  arms  prevented  racking  fore  and  aft. 

I216I 


[217  1 


TWO  Cromwellian  Chairs,  owned  by  the  author.  Date:  1640-60.  The 
chair  on  the  left  has  more  turning  than  the  other,  but  is  not  therefore  any 
earher. 

These  chairs  are  marked  by  low  backs,  with  a  somewhat  narrow  rest, 
vertically.  They  are  called  Cromwellian,  because  the  era  of  simplicity  under 
the  Commonwealth  revolted  from  the  more  luxurious  furniture  of  the  earlier 
part  of  the  century.  With  the  restoration  comes  in  the  florid,  rich  school  of 
Charles  II.  Of  course  these  chairs  are  American,  being  maple.  The  cover- 
ings for  this  sort  of  chairs  were  in  a  great  variety  of  materials,  but  preferably 
leather. 

These  chairs  are  to  be  distinguished  sharply  from  the  Spanish  style  which 
prolongs  the  back  post  above  the  frame,  and  ends  it  with  molded  face.  Such 
chairs  were  perhaps  made  in  America,  but  we  refrain,  lest  we  err,  from 
introducing  them  into  this  book. 


I  218) 


A  CHAIR  generally  called 
Jacobean.  It  is  more  accurate  to 
give  the  date  merely,  as  this  chair 
persisted  many  years,  and  most  of 
those  found  in  this  country  were  of 
the  time  of  Cromwell  or  of  Charles 
II.  The  date  of  this  chair  may  be 
1660-1700.  The  chairs  of  this 
type  have  been  set  forward  in  date 
somewhat  by  the  discovery  of  a 
date  as  late  as  1699  on  a  very  fine 
specimen. 

The  leather  covering  of  chairs 
is  very  satisfactory,  conducing  to 
cleanliness,  durability  and  a  sense 
of  the  mellow  past.  They  are 
inviting — the  best  compliment  we 
can  pay  to  a  chair.  This  ex- 
ample belongs  to  the  author.  It 
was  found  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
is  of  maple  and  birch.  The  nails 
are  those  usually  found;  the  very 
large  oval  nail  head  is  more  likely 
to  be  Spanish. 

All  the  original  leather  seats  are 
thoroughly  studded  with  nails,  so 
much  so  that  it  sometimes  seems 
as  if  an  effort  was  made  to  insert 
a  nail  wherever  space  could  be 
found  for  it. 

The    ovaling    of    the    top    and 
bottom  of  the  back  panel,  on  a  surface  so  arranged   that  the    surface  of 
the  doubled  leather  is  flush  with  the  wood,  gives  an  excellent  effect. 

Chairs  of  this  style  in  England  are  sometimes  very  high.  The  American 
examples  known  are  usually  of  the  hight  of  an  ordinary  chair.  We  have 
elsewhere  commented  on  the  almost  total  lack  of  American  cross-stretcher 
chairs. 


[219  1 


A  LEATHER  Back  Chair.  The 
simplicity  is  restful  and  in  very  good 
taste.  The  chair  is  all  original  except 
the  leather,  which  is  restored  in  the 
natural  color  taken  from  another  old 
chair.  Leather  backs,  such  as  are 
shown  here  and  on  the  preceding  and 
following  pages,  are  more  rare  than 
banister-backs;  and  if  we  regard 
style,  perhaps  we  should  count  them 
just  as  good,  if  not  better,  than  the 
banister-backs. 

The  date  of  this  chair  is  about 
1670-90.  It  shows  the  quieting  influ- 
ence of  the  Commonwealth  time. 
The  wood  is  maple. 

The  method  of  construction  of 
chairs  was  unfortunately  governed  by 
style  more  than  by  sound  cabinet 
principles.  Most  of  the  chairs  of  this 
and  the  cane  type  are  frail  in  the 
back.  This  is  especially  true,  when, 
as  usual,  the  back  slants  at  an  angle 
beginning  at  the  seat,  so  that  a 
cross-grain  strain  occurs.  Not  all  old 
furniture  was  good.  Only  the  best 
survived. 

Luxury  was  not  lacking  in  the 
homes  of  the  17th  century  where 
there  were  means  to  indulge  it.  The  inventory  of  the  chair  coverings  in  a 
17th  Century  house  startles  us  by  the  rich  material  it  reveals. 

Table  linen  also  in  ordinary  households  was  common.  Indeed,  one  would 
infer  it  was  more  common,  in  good  patterns,  than  it  is  now.  Napkins  in 
large  numbers  are  enumerated.  The  bed  linen  also  was  often  real.  Where 
a  housewife  was  forehanded  she  often  had  a  store  of  linen  for  many  years 
ahead. 

The  homes  were  not  wholly  without  silver  and  glass,  with  some  china, 
though  the  last  named  was  not  made  in  England.  The  bulk  of  the  table 
ware  was  in  pewter,  with  much  wooden  ware  in  the  poorer  families. 


[  220  ] 


A  LEATHER-BACK 
Chair.  Date:  1670-90. 
The  high  stretcher  is  a 
desirable  feature.  This 
chair  is  a  variant  from 
the  cane  chair,  and  is  of 
the  same  period.  It  be- 
longs to  the  author.  It 
is  maple,  and  practically 
all  original,  except  the 
leather,  which  is  old. 

It  is  regarded  as  a  very 
serious  loss  if  the  feet  of 
a  chair  are  missing,  but 
even  more  important  are 
the  finials,  nevertheless 
any  relic  of  a  dignified 
article  of  furniture  two 
hundred  years  old  is 
worth  possessing,  and  if 
a  chair  has  lost  both 
finials  and  feet  it  must 
be,  if  so  old,  wept  over. 

In  the  re-upholstering 
of  old  chairs  care  should 
be  taken  to  keep  the 
padding  low.  The  effect 
is  spoiled  by  plump  pad- 
ding. It  is  true  all  old 
chairs  have  had  so  much 
use  that  we  cannot  say 
just  how  the  seats  orig- 
inally looked.  But  they 
certainly  are  not  in  keep- 
ing with  their  age  unless 
the  seat  is  pretty  well 
flattened.  The  backs 
sometimes  did  and  some- 
times did  not  have  pad- 
ding. In  case  the  back  was  padded  the  leather  was  often  doubled  and 
padding  placed  between  so  as  to  show  leather  at  the  back  of  the  chair. 


[221  ] 


AT  the  left  is  an  Original  Seventeenth  Century  Rocker,  in  the  author's 
collection.  We  use  the  phrase  here  "Seventeenth  Century"  more  as  an 
indication  of  style  than  of  precise  date.  The  piece  has  all  the  characteristics 
of  the  Pilgrim  slat-back,  except  that  the  bottoms  of  the  posts  have  enlarged 
turnings  unmistakably  designed  to  receive  rockers.  The  writer  owns  an- 
other chair  of  the  same  type.  They  are  extremely  rare,  yet  seem  to  have 
come  to  light  in  three  or  four  instances  lately.  They  lack  massiveness,  this 
piece  being  about  40  inches  high;  the  seat  15J2  inches  high  with  an  area 
of  20^4  by  16  inches.     The  rockers  are  shaped  to  prevent  an  overturn. 

On  the  right,  a  high  desk  chair.  This  piece  at  first  appears  to  be  a  high 
chair  for  a  child,  but  the  size  is  that  of  an  ordinary  chair,  namely  17^2  by 
12^  inches  on  the  seat,  which,  however,  is  22  inches  high;  the  back  being 
37>2  inches  high.  It  is  very  substantial,  though  the  posts  are  rather  light. 
It  is  all  original,  except  the  rush. 

Date  problematical,  perhaps  1700-1740. 


[  222  1 


ABOVE  are  two  high  chairs  of  the  finest  style  each  in  its  kind.  The 
left  chair  belongs  to  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown.  The  right  chair  is  delightful 
from  its  flaring  base. 

One  never  knows  where  to  stop  on  children's  chairs.  They  are  too  delight- 
ful to  leave  behind  us.  They  add  more  to  the  home  sense  than  any  other 
furniture. 

A  high  chair,  similar  to  Mr.  Brown's  above,  but  with  three  slats,  is  owned 
by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash.  Had  the  makers  taken  a  little  more  pains,  as 
in  the  right  hand  chair  on  page  278,  we  should  have  had  a  remarkable 
Pennsylvania  arched  slat-back. 

Turned  chairs,  which  to  us  appear  most  desirable,  were  at  first  made  as 
substitutes  for  wainscot  chairs,  and  were  not  highly  regarded.  The  turning 
lathe,  run  by  the  foot,  with  all  parts  made  of  wood,  was  without  question 
the  earliest  wood-working  machine  in  America.  John  Alden  was  amply 
competent  to  make  a  lathe  and  no  doubt  did  make  one.  The  labor  was 
far  less  than  was  required  for  any  other  sort  of  chair.  An  ax  was  sufficient 
to  prepare  the  rough  sticks  for  the  turner. 


[223  1 


AN  unique  arm  chair  which  was  found  in  Connecticut.  The  back  is 
hollowed  from  a  single  board  and  shows,  besides  the  three  hearts,  a  peculiar 
scroll  which  are  together  called  the  "heart  and  crown."  The  piece  has 
been  very  much  admired.     It  was  in  the  former  Wallace  Nutting  collection. 

Date:  1690-1720. 


[224] 


.#*>igia*.!iaEs& 


TWO  Turned  Slat-Back  Chairs.  Owner:  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour. 
Date:  1710-40. 

They  are  from  the  Capt.  Chas.  Churchill  house,  Newington,  Connecticut, 
built   1762-63.     They  are  now  in  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum,   Hartford. 

These  chairs  bear  the  name  of  New  England  Slat-Backs.  This  distin- 
guishes them  from  the  arched  slat  forms  whose  habitat  is  Pennsylvania. 
Also  it  means,  though  the  name  does  not  show  it,  a  New  England  chair 
succeeding  the  pilgrim  type.  The  earliest  of  them  dates  about  1700.  From 
that  time  they  were  popular,  always  growing  lighter,  through  the  century, 
as  every  day  chairs. 


(225  I 


ON  the  left  appears  a  five-back  New  England  chair.  It  is  in  the  author's 
collection.  The  hight  is  34^^  inches  and  the  seat  15^  inches,  the  size 
of  the  seat  is  extreme  being  25  inches  wide  by  19  inches  deep.  This  gene- 
rosity is  attractive.  The  hight  of  arm  chairs  used  to  be  considered  to  be 
properly  18  inches,  as  well  as  the  side  chairs,  but  many  measurements  of 
ancient  arm  chairs  disclose  the  fact  that  not  a  few  were  made  lower  than 
the  side  chairs,  which  later  usually  have  a  good  hight  to  be  used  at  a  table. 

The  arm  chair,  however,  which  in  this  case  shows  the  elongated  ball  or 
pear-shaped  foot,  has  not  been  cut  down,  which  indicates  that  it  was  built 
for  comfort  by  the  fireside.  The  so-called  sausage  turning  so  often  seen  on 
a  New  England  slat  back  is  here  very  prominent.  The  roll-shaped  arm 
suggests  a  simple  plain  variant  from  the  more  elegant  Jacobean  type  and 
helps  us  in  the  date  of  such  a  piece,  making  it  1690-1710. 

On  the  right  appears  a  turned  four-back  arm  chair  in  the  author's  col- 
lection. It  is  all  original,  is  painted  black  with  some  late  decoration.  The 
finials  are  good  for  the  period.  The  leather  seat  has  been  added,  but  it  is 
so  substantial  that  it  may  well  remain. 


[226] 


TWO  fine  high  backed  New  England  turned  chairs,  the  left  hand  example 
being  a  very  perfect  type,  having  five  backs;  complete  in  its  turned  scheme, 
and  with  sausage  rungs  not  only  in  front,  but  at  the  sides. 

The  other  chair  is  remarkable  for  its  wealth  of  rungs,  all  alike,  twelve  in 
number.  The  spacing  of  the  back  is  a  characteristic  feature,  the  slats 
increasing  in  width  and  in  spacing,  from  the  seat  upward.  What  it  is  in 
this  chair  that  is  so  attractive  one  hardly  knows,  but  all  eyes  linger  on  it. 
The  dates  are  about  1710-30. 


I  227] 


THE  Chair  above  with  four  waved  or  serpentine  slats  is  owned  by  J. 
Milton  Coburn,  M.D.  It  is  very  rare.  Chairs  of  this  general  type  were 
made,  sometimes,  with  rockers.  We  are  not  certain  in  this  case,  whether 
the  rockers  are  original. 

The  other  chair,  a  three-back,  is  owned  by  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown. 
It  appears  that  the  turnings  of  the  two  chairs  are  identical,  so  that  they 
were  made  by  the  same  craftsman,  or  one  was  copied  from  the  other.  The 
date  may  be  1730-50.  These  lighter  turnings  were  not  used  much  before 
that  date. 

The  arms  are  short,  and  are  reinforced  for  strength  by  running  down  to 
the  first  rung.    The  style  must  have  been  popular. 

Comparison  of  these  chairs  with  the  baby's  chair  on  page  277,  at  the  top, 
on  the  right,  indicates  that  the  little  chair  is  of  an  earlier  date,  as  the  arms 
belong  to  the  17th  century.  Another  example  of  a  reinforced  arm,  with 
two  bearings,  appears  on  page  230.  In  the  earlier  style  the  front  post  of  the 
chair  would  have  sustained  the  arm.  The  change  was  not  wise.  It  also 
interfered  with  the  rushing. 


[228] 


ON  the  left  is  a  rare,  possibly  an  unique  Chair,  owned  by  Mr.  B.  A. 
Behrend.  It  has  on  the  rear  legs  small  rollers  like  those  used  on  trundle 
beds,  though  of  course  much  smaller.  We  have  here  then  the  genesis  of 
the  caster.  The  chair  is  apparently  a  17th  Century  piece — just  coming 
inside  that  limit.    The  ends  of  the  arms  are  sawed  off. 

The  other  chair,  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston,  is  a  Pennsylvanian  or 
Knickerbocker  product.  It  is  called  a  name  chair,  from  the  inscription  of  the 
lady's  name,  to  whom  it  was  doubtless  presented.  The  turnings  and  finials 
are  in  accord  with  its  origin — two  little  balls,  and  a  central  finial  being 
applied  at  the  top  rail.    The  chair  has  the  "panel"  seat. 

On  the  back  above  the  name  is  a  flying  cherub,  carved.  The  piece  is 
altogether  very  quaint. 


[  229  1 


230 


The  chair  at  the  right 
has  that  much  to  be  de- 
sired, six-slat  back.  The 
type  is  Pennsylvanian.  It 
introduces  the  arched  slat. 
It  is  characterized  also  by 
ball-feet,  turned  larger 
than  the  post,  though  in 
this  case  a  restoration 
failed  to  take  note  of  that 
fact.  We  admit  chairs  are 
found  without  the  enlarged 
foot. 

This  chair  is  light  and 
attractive.  It  is  common 
with  four  slats,  not  rare 
with  five,  much  sought  for 
with  six,  and  found  in  one 
or  two  known  instances 
with  seven  slats.  Another 
mark  of  these  chairs,  when 
made  with  arms,  is  the 
cutting  away  of  wood  un- 
der the  arm,  for  lightness. 
We  know  of  no  exception 
to  this  rule,  in  the  best 
style. 

This  chair,  those  on  page 
233,  and  the  chair  at  top 
of  page  234,  belong  to  Mr. 
Francis  D.  Brinton,  West 
Chester,  Pennsylvania. 

ON  the  left  at  the  top  of  page  230,  there  is  a  curious  chair.  The  turnings 
have  enlarged  shoulders.  The  obvious  object  was  to  secure  greater  solidity. 
The  posts  are  left  square,  except  the  finials  behind  and  the  section  under 
the  arm  in  front.  One  or  two  other  examples  have  been  seen  with  this 
sort  of  turning.  We  do  not  count  it  at  all  important;  it  is  merely  an  oddity. 
Date  uncertain;  perhaps  1710-50. 

Another  chair  on  that  page  has  "sausage"  turnings  not  only  in  front, 
but  on  the  intermediate  spindles  below  the  arms.  The  date  may  be  1700. 
The  left  chair,  bottom  page  230,  is  a  good  example  of  1710-30. 


I  231  1 


# 


[232] 


The  chair  on  page  232  was  bought  in  Albany.  It  is  one  of  the  most  deHcate 
imaginable.  The  finials  run  to  a  needle  point.  The  slats  are  very  thin. 
The  piece  is  maple. 

The  right  hand  chair  above  is  a  fine  example  of  the  Pennsylvania  side 
chair,  with  six  slats. 

The  left  hand  chair  above,  corresponding  with  the  arm  chair  on  the 
next  page,  has  fancifully  scrolled  slats.  They  were  evidently  made  as 
part  of  a  set.  The  chair  above  shows  the  "blunt  arrow"  formation  of  the 
front  right-hand  foot.  This  is  also  a  feature  of  the  earliest  Philadelphia 
Windsors.  The  front  spindles  of  these  chairs  are  generally  very  hand- 
somely turned,  in  the  Queen  Anne  style. 

These  chairs  date  from  1720  to  1750. 


I  233  1 


The  chair  on  the  left  is  mentioned 
on  the  preceding  page.  The  chair  at 
the  bottom  of  this  page,  while  its 
rockers  are  an  addition,  is  of  a  massive 
fine  design. 

The  Flemish  chair,  on  which  we 
here  enter,  became  popular  among  the 
well-to-do  in  America  at  the  end  of 
the  17th  Century.  It  was  the  age  of 
walnut,  but  native  woods  that  were 
convenient  claimed  attention.  Vir- 
ginia walnut  was  not  found  where  these 
chairs  were  made. 

The    feature   of  the    Flemish    chair 
that  most  impresses  one  is  the  famous 
Flemish  scroll,  seen  to  good  advantage 
on  the  beautiful  chair  on  the  next  page. 
The    chair    there    shown    is    owned 
by  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving  and  the  one  on 
the  next  page  following,  slightly  dif- 
ferent, by  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown, 
A  fine  feature  of  each   is  the   so-called 
ram's   horn   arm,   which   gains   this   name 
when  it  curves  outward  as  well  as  down- 
ward . 

The  back  legs  are  never  carved.  There 
is  sometimes  a  sharp — too  sharp,  backward 
angle  of  the  rear  leg  beginning  at  the  seat. 
The  chair  is  weak  at  that  point.  In  the 
case  of  the  arm  chair  the  arm  acts  as  a 
brace.  On  the  side  chair  there  is  a  fre- 
quent fatal  weakness. 

These  chairs  are  a  far  cry  from  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  turned  chair.  They  represent 
very  well  the  reaction  against  Puritanism. 
While  they  were  never  common  in  America, 
owing  in  part  to  their  expense  and  their 
too  ornamental  character  for  a  new  coun- 
try and  a  simple  generation,  they  are  found 

in  considerable  numbers.  The  caning  of  these  chairs  is  of  the  finest 
character,  and  some  of  it  remains  in  the  examples  we  show.  The  finish 
is    preferably    natural,  but  many  specimens  are  painted  black. 

I234I 


(235  1 


■^■^il'^j-i-KEFi;;-^ 


I236I 


[237  1 


AN  Arm  Chair  with  turned  base  and  Flemish  back,  and  a  Flemish  side 
chair.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  In  the  backs  of  both  of  these  fine  chairs 
the  Flemish  scrolls  are  strikingly  prominent.  The  wood  is  "fruit"  wood — 
a  term  indicating  apple  or  pear. 

On  the  preceding  page  a  chair  with  a  strong  English  appearance,  but  said 
to  be  American,  is  shown.    Owner:  Mr.  Stanley  A.  Sweet  of  New  York. 

On  page  239  appears  the  most  perfect  example  I  have  seen  of  a  pair  of 
Flemish  side  chairs.  They  are  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  They  are 
painted  black. 


I  238 


f 


239 


AT  the  left  is  a  beautiful  Flemish  chair.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  A 
rare  and  winning  feature  is  the  shape  of  the  molded  panel.  The  color  is 
black;  the  wood  we  cannot  certainly  name. 

On  the  right  is  a  chair,  present  owner  unknown,  with  rarely  fine  Spanish 
feet.  Such  feet  bear  study,  as  there  are  so  many  inferior  ones.  Spanish  in 
this  sense  means  the  Spanish  Netherlands.  The  date  of  Mr.  W.'s  chair  is 
1670-90.    The  other  is  about  1700. 


i40 


AN  Arm  and  Side  Chair,  Flemish  style.  In  fruit  wood.  Owner:  Mr,  W. 
of  Boston.  One  should  note  that  the  arm  chair,  as  often  occurs  in  this  style, 
is  lower  in  the  seat  than  the  side  chair.  The  boldness  of  the  scrolls,  com- 
bined with  the  delicacy  of  the  connecting  carving,  and  the  beauty  of  the 
carving  on  the  arm  are  notable.  The  inward  spiral  of  the  foot  is  called  the 
English  scroll.    The  date  is  1670- 1700. 


I  241  1 


ON  the  left  is  a  Flemish  chair  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston,  on  which  the 
carving  of  the  side  stiles  of  the  panel  is  inside  a  reeded  member.  The  wood 
is  very  hard — possibly  beech. 

The  other  chair,  present  owner  unknown,  has  a  handsomely  scrolled  panel. 
The  plush  back  is  a  bad  addition  which  does  not  fit  the  panel.  The  carved 
stretchers  sometimes,  but  by  no  means  always,  match  the  top  rail,  as  in  this 
case. 


I  242  1 


THE  left  hand  chair  belongs  to  Mr.  Stanley  A.  Sweet.  It  is  very  elab- 
orate, showing  every  feature  of  the  Flemish  style.  Date  of  this  and  the  other 
chair:  about  1690. 

The  reader  will  have  noticed  two  distinct  types  of  top  rail  on  Flemish 
chairs.  The  earlier  in  date,  and  the  handsomer,  is  that  in  which  the  rail  pro- 
jects beyond  the  posts,  such  as  the  chairs  on  page  240.  The  other  sort  is 
much  less  frail;  for  the  rail  is  wholly  between  the  posts  into  which  it  is 
entered  by  mortise  and  tenon,  as  in  the  chairs  on  this  page. 

The  chair  on  the  right  is  the  property  of  Mr.  W.  of  Boston. 


[243 


A  SIMPLE  Flemish 
chair  belonging  to  the 
author,  and  accorded 
rather  more  prominence 
than  it  deserves.  Still  as 
a  type  it  affords  oppor- 
tunity to  point  out  that 
the  elaborate  chairs  here- 
tofore shown  are  too  rare 
to  be  within  the  reach  of 
the   average   collector. 

This  chair,  with  the 
simple  reeded  sides  of  the 
back  panel,  and  an  abso- 
lutely plain  bottom  rail 
beneath  the  panel,  is 
more  like  what  we  see  as 
a  rule.  The  work  on  the 
two  carved  members  is 
worthy  so  far  as  it  goes. 
It  will  be  seen  also  that 
all  preceding  Flemish 
chairs  have  had  cane 
seats  as  well  as  backs. 
This  chair  has  a  rush  seat 
which  in  old  days  was 
counted  not  so  good  as 
cane. 

This  chair  of  maple 
dates  about  1690-1700. 

It  will  be  noted  that 
the  cane  chair  has  a 
middle  stretcher.  The 
rear  stretcher,  therefore, 
is  placed  very  high. 


I244I 


A  BEAUTIFULLY 
carved  Flemish  chair,  be- 
longingto  Mr. W.  of  Boston. 
It  is  reported  to  have  been 
the  property  of  William 
Penn.  The  date  is  about 
I 670- I 700. 

The  reader  should  be 
warned  that  in  large  photo- 
graphs made  close  to  the  ob- 
ject there  is  no  little  distor- 
tion, so  that  as  here  the  base 
of  the  chair  looks  too  heavy 
in  proportion  to  the  back. 
This  blemish  is  inevitable, 
under  the  conditions  neces- 
sary for  procuring  these 
pictures. 

The  small  scroll  on  the 
legs  into  which  the  carved 
stretcher  is  mortised , is  a'fine 
touch  of  design,  as  if  intend- 
ed to  receive  the  stretcher. 
Many  Flemish  chairs,  even 
those  of  the  very  highest 
character  otherwise,  lack 
this  detail. 

There  is  generally  a  "shoe" 
or  knob  on  which  the  foot  of 
a  Flemish  leg  rests.  But  in 
the  English  scroll,  this  shoe 
is  regularly  lacking. 

Attention  is  called  to  the 
extremely  narrow  band  of 
caning  in  the  back,  in  this 
chair.  This  "gesture,"  asthe 
French  say,  is  very  effect- 
ive. Never  mind  about  the 
comfort.  The  seats  of  Flem- 
ish chairs,  in  the  better 
styles  are  strongly  molded  on  the  outer  side,  as  here. 

Note  how  the  scrolls  on  the  top   rail   cunningly   intercept  one  another! 

[245  1 


A  DOUBLE-PANEL 
Cane  Spanish  Foot  Chair. 
Owner:  the  author.  This 
example  has  a  great  deal 
of  stylish  feeling.  The 
back  follows  all  the  curves 
of  a  Grecian  bend,  with  a 
few  to  spare.  The  outward 
rake  of  the  foot  behind  is 
particularly  "fetching." 
The  skirt  is  a  thin  piece  of 
applied  wood.  Owing  to 
the  lighting,  the  Spanish 
foot  shows  in  a  different 
color  from  the  leg  above, 
but  it  is  all  original.  The 
rolling  scroll  of  the  top  rail 
is  delicate.  The  stretchers 
also  are  effectively  scrolled . 
Altogether  the  chair  pre- 
sents many  features  differ- 
ent from  the  ordinary. 
The  chair  is  painted  and 
decorations  in  gold  were 
discovered  when  a  modern 
upholstered  seat  was  re- 
moved. It  was  originally 
caned.  The  habit  of  be- 
ginning the  cabriole  curve 
of  the  leg,  not  at  the 
frame  but  after  an  inter- 
vening spool-like  ornament 
is  the  regular  style.  Date: 
I 690- I 700. 
On  the  next  page  is  a  very  delicately  carved  pair  of  Flemish  chairs  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bigelow  of  Cambridge.  The  carvings  above 
and  below  are  a  more  perfect  counterpart  of  one  another  than  we  have 
elsewhere  noticed.  Of  course  the  upholstery  on  one  of  the  chairs  is  a  later 
addition.      Date:  1670-90. 


7  »jj«i«^ 


I  246 


1 247 1 


A  PAIR  of  Carved  Cane  Chairs,  with  Spanish  feet.  Owner:  Mr.  Francis 
Hill  Bigelow.  The  feet  are  in  very  good  style.  The  roll  at  the  top  of  the 
rail  suggests  comparison  with  that  on  page  246.  The  turned  stretchers 
are  very  bold.  A  touch  of  carving  running  about  the  molded  back  and 
on  the  squares  of  the  legs,  is  interesting.     Date:  1700. 


(248I 


si 


h'! 


s 


A  PAIR  of  Panel-Back  Chairs.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  The  small 
skirt  resembles  that  on  page  246.  The  painting  is  decorated  with  bands  of 
gold.  These  chairs  were  found  at  Salem  and  are  said  to  have  belonged 
to  Nathanael  Hawthorne  from  whose  former  residence  they  came.  There 
is  a  very  striking  resemblance  between  these  chairs  and  those  on  the  op- 
posite page.  There  the  decoration  on  the  squares  of  the  turnings  in  the 
legs  is  carved.    Date  about  1700. 

We  approach,  in  the  form  of  the  molded  back  frame,  the  early  Dutch 
style  which  shortly  followed  these  chairs. 


I  249  1 


THE  Chair  on  the  left,  belonging  to  Mr.  Brooks  Reed  of  Boston  is  in  a 
style  immediately  following  the  Flemish,  and  far  more  generally  seen  in 
America.  Date:  1700-10.  All  the  stretchers  are  ornamentally  turned. 
The  style  of  the  arm,  while  a  declination  from  the  more  elegant  Flemish, 
is  the  proper  type  for  this  chair.    The  only  carving  is  on  the  cresting. 

The  chair  on  the  right  has  five  banisters,  a  feature  counted  worth  while. 
While  the  chair  is  supposed  to  be  later  than  the  Flemish,  it  has  the  imposed 
not  the  built  in,  top  rail,  an  early  feature.  Date:  1690-1700.  Owner: 
Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend. 

Banister-backs  are  the  usual  "old  fashioned"  chairs  in  America,  having 
been  immensely  popular.  They  divided  this  supremacy  with  the  simpler 
"New  England"  slat  back.  The  dates  were  coincident.  But  the  slat 
backs  began  sooner  and  lasted  later. 

The  method  of  turning  the  banisters  was  to  glue  two  pieces  of  wood 
together,  with  a  paper  between.  After  the  turning  was  done,  the  pieces 
could  be  separated  by  inserting  the  point  of  a  knife,  and  a  smooth  surface 
without  loss  of  shape  through  planing,  was  obtained. 


I  250  1 


SPANISH  Foot  Banister  Backs.  Owner:  the  author.  These  chairs 
while  not  precisely  alike  in  every  detail,  were  evidently  made  to  match. 
The  stretcher  of  the  arm  chair  is  huge.  The  turner  loved  to  show  what  he 
could  do  when  he  tried.  The  arm  is  better  shaped  than  usual.  It  is  seldom 
one  sees  such  large  ball  turning  in  the  side  stretchers.     Date:  1700-1710. 

The  growth  of  the  turner's  art  from  the  Egyptian  bow  string  lathe  to  the 
present,  presents  many  aspects  of  interest.  All  early  work  in  America  was 
done  on  foot-power  lathes.  Having  made  this  statement  we  await  a  state- 
ment from  some  one  that  water  power  was  sometimes  used.  It  is  possible 
in  sporadic  cases.  It  was  not  possible  to  turn  very  small  articles  because 
the  back  rest  was  not  invented  until  long  after  our  period. 


I251I 


A  CANE  Chair  with 
Spanish  Feet.  This  some- 
what simple  but  effective 
design  has  good  ram's 
horn  arms,  and  hke  the 
Flemish  style,  a  middle 
stretcher.  The  back  is 
done  in  the  molded  style 
of  the  Dutch  chairs.  The 
stretcher  is  not  as  satis- 
factory as  one  could  wish. 
In  tracing  the  develop- 
ment of  style,  much  at- 
tention should  be  paid 
to  physical  geography. 
While  a  furniture  maker 
might  bring  his  materials 
from  far,  in  special  in- 
stances, yet  the  cost  of 
transportation  was  great. 
Hence,  after  a  little,  an 
artisan  would  look  about 
him,  and  learn  to  adapt 
the  materials  that  lay 
ready  to  his  hand.  If  no 
cane  was  available*  he 
used  rushes.  If  he  had 
no  walnut  he  had  a  fine 
wood  in  maple.  The 
banister  back  gave  springiness  lacking  in  a  slat  back.  Style  is  developed 
more  through  necessity  than  through  deliberate  design.  The  abundant 
pine,  found  in  America,  furnished  the  logical  wood  for  the  interior  of  cabinet 
pieces,  and  to  take  the  place  of  the  oak  wainscot  of  Europe.  The  pine  was 
so  wide  as  to  overcome,  to  a  large  degree,  the  necessity  of  small  panels.  Any- 
one with  a  little  ingenuity  could  construct  a  crude  lathe.  The  all-turned 
furniture  of  the  earliest  period  was  more  easily  produced  than  any  other 
kind.  The  only  tools  used  in  putting  a  turned  chair  together  were  auger 
and  mallet.    And  the  work,  stood. 


I  252  1 


[253  1 


y 


ON  the  preceding  page  is  an  unusual  chair  owned  by  Mr.  Stanley  S. 
Sweet.  It  is  pecuHar  in  that  the  arm  post  is  not  a  continuation  of  the  leg, 
but  is  set  back  on  the  frame  of  the  chair.  The  broken  line  is  pleasing  to  the 
eye,  but  probably  no  improvement  from  a  structural  point  of  view.  There 
is  a  fine  arm  and  back,  and  altogether,  after  the  Flemish  period,  the  chair 
is  as  handsome  as  could  be  desired.     Date:  1690-1700. 

Above,  on  this  page,  on  the  left,  is  a  fine  Spanish  foot  banister  back  side 
chair  owned  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  It  is  one  of  a  pair.  It  was  not  feasible 
to  present  both  of  them.    Date:  about  1700. 

On  the  right  is  a  rich  Flemish  chair  treated  on  the  following  page. 


1254] 


ON  the  preceding  page:  the 
Flemish  chair  is  owned  by 
Mrs.  John  Marshall  Holcombe 
of  Hartford.  It  is  very  close 
in  its  lines  to  that  on  page 
241 .  It  belonged  to  a  clergy- 
man in  Warren,  Connecticut. 
Date:  1680-1700.  Its  details 
are  very  rich. 

Above  on  the  left  is  a  chair 
which  carries  in  its  top  rail  a 
crown,  repeated  below  in  the 
stretcher,  and  having  spiral 
turnings.  This  chair  is  in 
maple,  and  is  stoutly  defended 
as  American.  We  have  failed 
to  find  the  owner  of  the  fine 
chair  on  the  right. 

It  very  strongly  resembles 
the  chair  at  the  top  of  page 
243.  The  manner  of  marking 
in  the  carving  of  the  legs,  the 
place  for  the  stretcher  is  good. 


[2SSl 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  Slat 
Back.  A  large  chair.  The  seat 
is  21^4  inches  wide,  and  19 
inches  deep — ^an  extraordinary 
depth.  Its  hight  is  17^;  and 
one  may  see,  by  the  wear,  that 
it  was  18  inches.  The  back  is 
no  less  than  461^2  inches  high. 
It  leans  3  inches.  The  chair 
had  been  used  with  candles  on 
the  front  posts.  Several  such 
chairs  have  been  seen.  The 
candle  holders  were  usually  con- 
structed with  hollow  cone  bases 
to  fit  over  points  on  the  posts. 
The  wood  of  this  chair  is  maple. 
It  is  owned  by  the  author. 
Date:  about  1700. 

The  remarkable  chair  on  the 
next  page  is  owned  by  Mr.  Mark 
M.  Henderson  of  Norwich.  It 
is  the  extreme  specimen  of  turn- 
ery, as  we  know  it.  The  fine 
scrolls  of  the  back  should  not — 
and  they  will  not — escape  us. 

The  arrangement  of  the  balls 
and  rings  looks  easy,  but  is  in 

reality  very  difficult  if  the  symmetry  be  maintained.    Date:  about  1710. 
The  play  of  fancy  in  a  maker's  mind  whenever  it  is  allowed  to  materialize 

as  when  one  works  for  one's  own  use,  is  a  valuable  as  well  as  an  interesting 

embodiment.     By  such  exuberance  a  worker  makes  a  flourish  which  proves 

that  neither  he  nor  nature  have  exhausted  themselves. 

It  is  a  question  whether  the  turning  in  such  a  chair  is  not  slightly  overdone. 

For  instance,  the  chisel  has  cut  so  deeply  that  the  strength  is  imperiled. 

Yet  it  has  stood  the  test.     But  if  these  posts  were  turned  down  evenly  to 

their  smallest  diameters  very  little  would  be  left. 

The  shape  of  the  slats  suggests   paired  salamanders.     They   are  very 

effective.     Had  the  maker  gone  still  farther  and  given  us  five  slats! 

Altogether  the  effect  is  sufficiently  striking.     But  when  one  starts  out 

to  see  what  he  can  do  we  are  just  human  enough  to  inquire  why  he  did  not 

go  on.' 


I256I 


I  257  1 


A  BANISTER- 
BACK  Spanish  Foot  Side 
Chair.  It  was  in  the 
We bb- Welles  house, 
Wethersfield;  and  its  pres- 
ent ownership  is  unknown. 
It  has  a  sense  of  restraint 
although  it  bears  no  little 
embellishment.  The  wri- 
ter was  always  fond  of 
the  chair.  Date:  1690- 
1700. 

ON  the  next  page  is  a 
turned  arm  chair,  with 
heart  and  crown  back, 
and  an  intermediate 
spindle  under  the  arm. 
It  is  ow  ned  by  Mr.  George 
Dudley  Seymour.  Date: 
1720-30.  Wood,  maple. 
A  large  chair,  combining 
lightness,  grace  and 
strength.  It  was  found 
in  Milford,  Connecticut, 
and  is  now  in  the  Wads- 
worth  Atheneum,  Hart- 
ford. The  reader  is  again 
warned  that,  in  chairs  of 
this  size,the  camera  great- 
ly enlarges  the  front  at 
the  expense  of  the  back. 
When  viewed  with  the 
eye  the  proportions  are 
more  harmonious.  The 
posts  are  really  of  mod- 
^j  erate  size,  but  they  look 
very  small.  One  sees  a 
molded  or  rather  beaded  line  on  the  arm.  The  Spanish  feet  of  the  chair  on 
this  page  are  cut  from  the  solid,  and  are  not  glued  on  as  is  often  the  case. 


{258! 


.  ..■;■,;.'!  .      1 


[259  1 


[  26ol 


ON  the  preceding  page 
is  an  arm  chair,  with  heart 
and  crown  crest,  inter- 
mediate spindle  under  the 
arm,  and  with  ornamen- 
tal turning  on  all  the 
rungs — -an  unusually  full 
degree  of  decoration.  The 
chair  is  all  original,  in- 
cluding perhaps  the  seat. 
It  was  probably  brought 
from  Connecticut,  but  it 
was  bought  in  Boston 
in  1921.  Owner:  the 
author.      Date:  1720-30. 

On  this  page  is  a  New 
England  five  banister- 
back  chair,  owned  by 
James  Davidson  of  New 
London,  Connecticut. 
The  three  hearts  in  the 
back  are  similar  to  a  low 
back  on  page  224.  An 
effort  was  made  at  some 
ornateness  in  this  piece, 
as  the  top  and  bottom 
rails  of  the  back  are 
both  scrolled.  The  arms 
are  done  with  a  hollowed 
surface.  However,  the 
special  peculiarity  of  the 
piece   is   the   apparent 

mixture  of  styles.  We  would  like  to  see  the  secondary  spindle  under  the 
arm  lower  down  and  in  a  horizontal  position.  Finding  it,  however,  where 
it  is,  we  would  not  expect  the  scrolled  arm  with  it.  A  casual  glance 
would  suggest  that  the  arm  had  been  added,  but  a  careful  examination 
seems  to  indicate  that  the  piece  is  all  original.      Date:  about  1720-30. 


261 


'  A  REVERSED 
Banister-Back  Chair. 
Owner:  Mrs.  John  Mar- 
shall Holcombe.  The 
intermediate  spindle  un- 
der the  arm  is  very  rare 
in  a  chair  of  this  style. 

The  fashion  of  rever- 
sing the  banisters,  show- 
ing the  rounded  side  in 
front,  we  used  to  regard 
as  a  mark  of  lack  of 
knowledge  in  the  cabinet 
maker.  We  are  now  com- 
pelled to  believe  that  the 
action  was  deliberate,  ta- 
ken with  a  view  to  con- 
forming the  spindles,  or 
banisters,  with  the  posts, 
which  in  this  instance  is 
perfectly  accomplished. 
Date:  about  1700. 

On  the  following  page 
is  a  wonderful  high  chair 
owned     by     Mr.     HoUis 
French.      It   is  the  only 
instance  known  of  a  spi- 
raled,  open-work  rung  in 
an  American  chair.    The 
Spanish  feet  and  the  fine 
arm  add  to  its  attraction. 
The  first  introduction  of 
a   Dutch   back  into  this 
volume,    as    here,     indi- 
cates the  dawning  of  that  fine  style;  while  the  under  body  has  still  the  fea- 
tures of  an  earlier  time.    Date:  about  1700.     The  upper  rung  was   used  as 
a  foot  rest.     Special  foot  rests  were  very  early. 

The  writer  has  never  personally  examined  this  chair. 


262  1 


[263  ] 


A  REVERSED  Banister-Back 
Side  Chair.  Photograph  furnished 
by  Mr.  Geo.  S.  McKearin  of  Hoosick 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  the  owner.  It  has  a 
rather  striking  crest,  and  the  lower 
rail  of  the  back  is  shaped.  The  feet 
are  remarkably  long  and  light. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  page  is  a 
remarkably  well-done  chair,  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  J.  H.  Stiles,  of  York, 
Pennsylvania.  It  has  the  mushroom 
arm,  such  as  are  shown  on  pages 
210-216.     With    its    six    "sausage" 


turned  stretchers  and  tasteful  finials, 
and  especially  with  its  uniquely 
turned  front  posts,  it  stands  well  up 
in  its  class.  Date:  1700-20.  It  seems 
to  have  lost  perhaps  an  inch  at  the 
bottom,  but  the  balls  there  are  still 
visible. 

This  chair  carries  out  strictly  the 
proper  agreement  between  the  spin- 
dles and  the  posts,  thus  securing  an 
effect  often  lost  by  failure  to  attend 
to  this  detail. 


I264I 


THE  Left-Hand  Banister-Back  Chair  is  owned  by  Mr.  Artiiur  W.  Wel- 
lington. The  great  turned  rung  and  the  semi-circular  molded  crest,  remind- 
ing us  of  the  backs  of  day-beds,  are  the  striking  features.    Date:  1700. 

The  right-hand  chair  is  the  property  of  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown.  The 
long  bevel  on  the  top  and  bottom  back  rails  makes  more  of  a  feature  than 
one  would  think  a  slight  thing  could  make.  The  great  rung  is  remarkably 
effective.    Date:  1700. 


[265! 


A  CHILD'S  Turned 
High  Chair.  The  "sau- 
sage turnings"  are  rare 
on  high  chairs.  A  still 
more  rare  feature,  how- 
ever, is  the  original  turned 
foot  rest,  the  only  one 
known  to  the  writer.  The 
general  contour  of  the 
back  is  like  that  of  a  very 
early  slat  back.  The 
chair  was  found,  and  is 
left,  in  red.  Date:  about 
1700.  Owner:  the  author. 
It  would  appear  as  if 
some  one  had  substitu- 
ted for  the  original  arms 
two  pieces  adapted  from 
rush  seat  rungs.  It  is 
possible,  but  barely  so, 
that  the  arms  were  origi- 
nally as  now. 

The  ascertaining  of 
the  age  of  a  chair  from 
the  wood  of  which  it  is 
made  is  hardly  possible. 
We  know,  it  is  true,  that 
oak  is  the  oldest  material, 
but  the  oldest  chairs  we 
have,  except  perhaps  a 
half  dozen  wainscots,  are 
of  ash.  Both  Carvers, 
Brewsters  and  Pilgrim 
Slat  Backs  are  usually  of  that  wood.  But  one  of  the  finest  and  earliest 
known  is  of  maple.  Birch  is  not  unknown  in  17th  Century  chairs,  and  is 
frequently  found  in  tables  of  that  date.  We  have  seen  one  Walnut  all- 
turned  17th  Century  chair.  Beach  is  also  known.  Cabinet  makers  re- 
garded it  more  brittle  than  maple. 


(266 


A  CANE  Ram's  Horn 
Arm  Chair.  Owner:  Mr. 
Dwight  Blaney.  In  the 
cabriole  leg  the  coming  of 
the  Dutch  style  casts  its 
light  before  it.  The  stretch- 
er is  well  scrolled.  The 
back  has  unusually  fine 
lines.    Date:  1700-20. 

We  earnestly  desire  to 
impress  on  the  reader  that 
wherever  in  this  work  any 
human  figure  appears  in  a 
room  of  furniture,  it  is 
because  there  is  no  other 
available  picture.  We  have 
eliminated  as  many  such 
pictures  as  possible,  but 
after  taking  expert  advice, 
have  followed  it  in  allow- 
ing the  few  such  pictures 
shown,  to  remain.  In  al- 
most every  case  they  are 
subjects  that  never  come 
to  the  attention  of  the 
public.  The  writer  is  no 
longer  engaged  in  exploit- 
ing such  pictures.  He 
would  vastly  prefer  to 
eliminate  them  were  not  the  loss  to  the  book  too  great.  He  has  discarded 
hundreds  of  negatives  for  this  reason  and  has  gone  to  no  end  of  pains  to 
find  other  subjects  to  take  their  places. 

We  do  not  wish  in  this  volume  to  show  the  cabriole  leg.  Its  genesis 
may,  however,  be  traced  back  to  a  suggestion  in  some  Flemish  chair. 
The  piece  before  us  is  an  interesting  mixture  of  styles,  the  back  agreeing 
with  earlier  types. 


[267] 


ON  the  left  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  New  England  five-back  arm  chair.  It 
has  the  flat  arm.  The  effort  at  uniformity  in  the  back  slats  is  different  from 
the  usual  varied  spacing.    Owner:  Mr.  Arthur  W.   Wellington. 

The  chair  on  the  right  is  a  rare  piece  owing  to  the  slanted  and  shaped  arm, 
terminating  in  a  spiral.  The  strong  crest  is  scalloped.  Owner:  Mr.  Geo. 
S.  McKearin. 

In  the  estimation  of  furniture,  too  much  attention  is  given  to  the  matter 
of  age.  If  a  specimen  is  in  fine  condition,  and  is  worthy  in  itself,  it  is  better 
than  a  wreck  of  any  period.  Again,  mere  rarity  is  thought  too  much  of. 
Sometimes  an  appeal  is  made  to  a  collector,  regarding  an  article,  that  "it 
is  the  only  one  of  its  kind."  He  may  sometimes  answer  that  he  wishes  there 
were  none  of  its  kind.  While  all  that  is  good  is  old,  not  all  that  is  old  is 
good . 


[268  ] 


A  BANISTER-BACK  High  Chair. 
The  turning  is  very  graceful.  Date: 
about  1700-10.  Formerly  at  Hazen 
Garrison  house,  Haverhill.  Owner: 
unknown. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  page  is  a  low 
baby  chair,  in  which  the  regular  order 
of  Carver  backs  is  reversed,  and  the 
third  rail  introduced  at  the  bottom 
instead  of  at  the  top  of  the  back. 
Such  good  turning  is  rare  in  baby 
chairs.  It  has  lost  most  of  the  feet, 
as  is  usually  the  case.  The  primary 
object  of  a  baby  chair,  from  the  baby's 
stand-point,  is  something  to  move.  It 
is  on  the  go  most  of  the  time,  and 
more  a  cart  than  a  chair.  The  posts, 
front  and  back,  are  worn  flat,  and  the 
feet  disappear.  An  unworn  chair  would 
not  be  worth  carrying  away.  Owner: 
Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.    Date:  1680-1700. 


The  existence  of  various  types  of 
chairs  is  probably  forgotten.  They 
have  no  doubt  become  as  extinct  as  the 
dodo.  It  is  all  the  more  important 
to  record  every  worthy  variety  we  can 
discover.  In  this  way  nothing  more 
will  be  lost.  That  is  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal objects  in  issuing  a  work  of  this 
kind,  by  the  art  which  preverves  all  art. 


[269] 


ON  the  left  is  a  fine  five-back  chair  with  a  very  high  back.  Owner: 
J.  Milton  Coburn,  M.  D.      Date:  1700-20. 

On  the  right  is  a  dehcately  turned  New  England  chair,  belonging  to  Mr. 
Henry  S.  Stearns,  of  New  Hartford,  Connecticut.  These  chairs  are  the 
first  we  have  shown  which  use  an  arm  cut  away  back  of  the  post,  as  is  more 
plainly  seen  on  the  next  page. 

On  the  next  page  we  have  the  glorified  specimen  of  a  New  England  chair, 
to  show  what  it  may  be  like.  Every  feature  of  the  best  style  is  present. 
The  intermediate  arm  spindle  is  especially  delicate.  Yet  the  chair  is  rugged 
where  it  needs  to  be  so.  It  belongs  to  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour,  and 
was  found  in  the  Capt.  Chas.  Churchill  house,  Newington,  Connecticut. 
It  is  now  in  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum,  Hartford. 

We  have  seen  somewhere  a  similar  chair,  except  that  the  arm  is  turned 
and  overruns  the  post.  The  turning  was  sufficiently  heavy,  and  the  result 
was  an  all  turned  chair. 


I  270] 


[  271   1 


A  HEAVY  early  example  of  the  corner  chair.  Later  the  chair  would  have 
been  made  with  splats  in  the  back  instead  of  slats. 

Happily  the  feet  are  not  wanting  here.  The  heavy  turnings  are,  strangely, 
not  symmetrical,  but  the  two  bottom  rungs  are  alike,  and  the  two  upper 
rungs  are  alike.  The  chair  belongs  to  Mr.  Mark  M.  Henderson  of  Norwalk. 
The  corner  chair  possesses  so  many  merits  that  we  are  always  surprised  at 
their  comparative  rarity.    The  date  is  about  1700-20. 


[272] 


MR.  Arthur  W.  Wellington  is  the  owner  of  the  possibly  unique  corner 
chair  above.  It  is  called  a  courting  chair.  Why  it  is  any  more  so  than  any 
corner  chair  does  not  appear,  but  let  the  name  stand.  We  like  it.  It  varies 
the  usual  low  back  and  round  back  of  the  corner  chair  by  carrying  the  back 
to  a  great  hight,  at  right  angles  to  one  another.    The  date  may  be  1710-30. 

On  the  right  is  an  odd  chair  belonging  to  Mr.  Geo.  S.  McKearin.  It  should 
be  relieved  of  its  rockers.  The  peculiar  feature  is  the  method  of  attaching 
the  arms.  It  results  in  requiring  spindles,  under  the  arms,  of  varying  hight, 
and  so  of  affording  a  pleasing  outline.  Date:  1720-40.  The  style  of  the  back 
coincides  with  that  of  a  number  of  i8th  Century  braced  arm  rockers.  The 
owner  questions  the  authenticity  of  the  arms.  They  are  at  any  rate  in- 
teresting. The  mania  for  adding  rockers  is  shown  on  this  chair,  to  an 
extreme  degree. 


I  273  I 


MR.  JAMES  N.  H.  CAMPBELL  is  the  owner  of  the  banister-back 
arm  chair  above.  The  roll-over  of  the  arm  is  pierced  by  a  circular  open- 
ing. The  usual  straight  top  back  rail  is  varied  by  a  contour  like  early 
panel  tops.    Date:  1710-30. 

The  round-about  chair  is  owned  by  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown.  Such  types 
are  more  frequently  seen  in  England.  The  secondary  imposed  back  or  comb 
turns  the  piece  into  what  is  often  called  abroad  a  barber's  chair.  A  chair 
like  this  was  the  precursor  of  the  Windsor  chair,  though  in  this  case  of  heavy 
construction  the  spindles  did  not  continue,  in  one  piece,  through  the  main 
back  rail.  Many  are  of  opinion  that  the  sack-like  back  secured  by  numerous 
spindles  was  to  support  a  temporary  upholstery,  as  a  shawl,  to  ward  off 
drafts. 


I  274  I 


THE  Low  Backed  Chair  is  for 
a  spinner's  seat,  or  high  stool  Hke  a 
monk's  stool.  It  was  used  to  rest 
a  spinner  while  she  continued  at 
her  work.    Date:  1700-1750. 

The  five-banister  back  is  marked 
by  a  huge  stretcher  and  a  concave 
back  rail. 

The  rockers  are  a  later  addi- 
tion.    Date:  1720-30. 

On  the  chair  below  the  rockers 
are  added.  It  belonged  to  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Newell,  Yale,  1739;  first 
minister  of  the  First  Church,  Bris- 
tol. There  is  a  touch  of  Friesian 
carving  on  the  arm  end.  Owner: 
Mrs.  Niles  Lewis  Peck,  of  Bristol. 
Date:  1700-30. 

Hight,  45>2  inches.  Posts 
maple,  rungs  oak. 


I  275  1 


THE  Child's  Chair  on  the  left  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
It  is  of  graceful  outline  and  larger  than  is  usual.  It  has  the  rare  merit  of 
having  preserved  its  feet,  or  enough  of  them  to  keep  its  rungs  v^ell  up  from 
the  floor.    Date:  1700-30. 

The  baby's  wing  chair  was  formerly  supposed  to  be  English,  but  now  on 
investigation  is  counted  American.  It  has  a  good  hand-hole  at  the  top  of  the 
back. 

On  the  next  page  are  four  chairs  for  children,  all  remarkable,  all  distinc- 
tive.   On  the  left  is  an  early  Dutch  chair. 

On  the  right  is  a  three-back  with  reversed  wave.  It  is  a  treasure.  Mr. 
Geo.  F.  Ives,  the  owner  of  all  these  chairs,  has  a  room,  probably  unique, 
furnished  entirely  with  baby  furniture  and  very  complete  in  all  details. 
There  are  several  rare  pieces  in  the  room  which  are  a  little  too  late  for  this 
work. 

In  addition  to  the  two  at  the  top,  described  on  the  preceding  page,  we 
have  below  a  rush  stool  and  a  corner  chair.  All  but  the  Dutch  chair  prob- 
ably come  within  the  17th  Century. 


276 


[277] 


TWO  low  baby  chairs  in  the  author's  collection.  The  left-hand  piece  has 
a  prettily  turned  front  post.  The  over-running  arm,  projecting  beyond  the 
post  and  capping  it,  is  later  than  the  arm  which  is  dowelled  into  the  post, 
which  latter  extends  above  it  and  has  a  finial.  This  piece,  therefore,  would 
be  an  early  i8th  Century  production.  The  right-hand  chair  is  an  interesting 
example  of  the  Pennsylvania  arched  slat  back,  with  a  scrolled  arm,  of  about 
the  same  date  as  the  other,  but  perhaps  superior  to  it  in  style. 

They  are  about  8  inches  and  6  inches  respectively,  in  hight,  of  the  seat. 
Baby  chairs  dispense  with  one  row  of  rungs,  as  the  space  is  so  short. 

They  exist  in  almost  all  the  styles  in  which  adults'  chairs  are  found, 
but  are  not  common  in  good  forms.  Several  shown  in  this  work  are  unique. 
As  a  rule  the  arm  chair  is  found.  The  theory  that  a  child  needed  holding 
in  was  strongly  intrenched  in  the  parental  mind.  Cords  or  bars  across  the 
front  were  common. 


(278  I 


WE  present  three  more  chairs  for  little  people.  That  on  the  left  is  the 
only  one  we  have  seen  with  a  slant  arm,  and  is  therefore  cherished.  The 
middle  chair  is  provided  with  rather  pretentiously  high  finials.  This  sort 
is  found  in  a  number  of  instances.  The  right  hand  chair  has  flat  turning 
in  the  back.  The  chairs  date  respectively,  about  1700;  1690-1700;  and  1740. 
They  are  owned  by  the  author. 

We  are  very  happy  in  the  recent  great  progress  of  nomenclature  in 
furniture.  Terms  are  now  common  enough,  descriptive  of  antique  pieces 
which  were  unknown  a  few  years  back.  The  jargon  of  the  collector  may 
sooner  than  anything  else  disclose  the  fullness  and  accuracy  of  his  informa- 
tion. Later  in  this  work  we  supply  a  list  of  names  applicable  to  the  pieces 
or  parts  of  pieces  shown. 

No  doubt  the  process  will  proceed,  and  we  shall  shortly  have  a  name  for 
everything.  Names  add  humanity  to  furniture.  And  they  obviate  the 
need  of  diffuse  explanation. 


(279I 


THE  left  hand  baby  chair,  with  wings,  is  covered  with  decorative  paint- 
ing. It  is  an  effort,  rather  unsuccessful  and  amateurish,  to  imitate  the 
more  pretentious  decorated  pieces. 

The  middle  chair  is  not  the  usual  "elbow"  chair.  The  finials  mark  it  as 
somewhat  late.  The  stool  may  be  of  almost  any  period  in  the  i8th  or  early 
19th  centuries.  The  dates  respectively  may  be:  1740-70;  1720-50;  1710-70. 
Owner:  the  author. 

Many  rare  baby  chairs  have  passed  out  of  sight,  but  very  early  foot- 
stools, of  which  vast  numbers  existed,  are  practically  unknown.  The  very 
high  chairs  were  all  provided  with  foot-stools,  to  escape  the  cold  of  the  floor. 
Low  stools  were  called  crickets,  in  some  sections  ot  New  England.  Of 
course  our  word  stool  is  practically  the  same  as  the  German  word  for  chair. 
This  etymology  suggests  that  at  one  time  chairs  with  low  backs  were  called 
stools. 

The  middle  piece  above  has  a  seat  ten  inches  high,  and  was  therefore 
intended  for  a  late  stage  of  babyhood.  Stools  vary  from  five  to  eight 
inches,  those  intended  to  be  used  as  seats  of  course  exceeding  the  latter 
figure. 


I280I 


A  CHAIR  recently  seen,  belonging  to  Mr.  I.  Sack,  which  has  a  swinging 
tilting  table  that  may  or  may  not  be  original  with  the  chair.  The  contri- 
vance is  a  two-part  box-bearing  fitted  to  the  post  by  fastening  the  two  parts 
together.  An  arm  was  then  attached  and  the  little  round  table,  rather  small 
for  writing,  was  hinged  to  it.  The  affair  is  interesting  by  comparison  with 
the  Windsor  writing  chair,  which  came  in  very  shortly  after  the  time  of 
this  chair,  perhaps  1720-30. 


281  ] 


A    DECORATIVE 

Spanish  Foot  Dutch  Side 
Chair.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of 
Boston.  We  seem  obHged, 
within  the  Hmit  of  1720, 
to  show  a  very  few  Dutch 
backs— so  long  as  they 
have  the  Spanish  feet. 
This  piece,  with  the  rush 
seat,  dates  perhaps  1720. 
It  is  well  decorated  on 
black  paint  with  gold  lines, 
constituting  an  intricate 
scroll  on  the  splat  and 
curve  of  the  top  rail.  The 
decoration  extends  to  the 
very  feet,  a  part  of  which 
are  missing.  The  center  of 
the  splat  is  done  in  colors. 
If  we  recollect  that  the 
date  named  was  the  time 
of  lacquered  furniture,  the 
art  of  which  scarcely  ex- 
isted in  America,  we  can 
understand  the  American 
effort  to  do  with  paint 
what  was  being  done  in 
the  more  pretentious  me- 
dium abroad.  We  are  not 
sorry  that  America  was 
driven  to  that  effort  be- 
cause many  of  the  pieces 
of  painted  furniture  were  truly  artistic. 

The  question  is  sometimes  raised  whether  the  decoration  on  a  piece  of 
furniture  was  added  at  a  later  period.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  de- 
termine this  matter.  In  the  case  before  us  we  regard  the  decoration  original 
because  it  agrees  with  the  period.  The  decoration  of  furniture  in  America, 
in  the  early  period  we  treat,  was  very  rare.  Knowing  their  inability  to 
reproduce  the  exquisite  foreign  lacquers,  makers  as  a  rule  left  their  work 
plain. 


IT 


1 28^ 


THE  Arm  Chair  is  an  early  transition  Dutch  model,  which  instead  of  a 
splat  has  four  reeded  banisters.  The  Spanish  feet,  rather  worn  down,  and 
the  style  of  arm,  suggest  as  a  date,  1710-20.  It  is  from  a  picture  furnished 
by  Mr.  Henry  V.  Weil. 

The  leather  chair  is  owned  by  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour.  It  is  of 
maple,  with  stretchers  of  beech.  It  was  bought  in  Hartford  and  is  supposed 
to  be  of  local  origin.  We  look  for  a  chair  with  this  outline  to  have  a  splat 
back.  This  earlier  piece  was  a  feeling  out  of  the  style  to  follow.  The  date 
is  perhaps  1710-20. 

The  richer,  more  artistic  Dutch  chairs,  beyond  our  scope,  are  not,  to  our 
thinking,  any  more  attractive  than  the  earlier  furniture.  They  were  the 
best  artistic  furniture  of  any  period.  But  the  chairs  we  have  shown  mostly 
have  the  flavor  of  a  new  country. 

I283I 


WITH  the  single  example 
of  a  Windsor  chair  before 
us  we  leave  the  subject  of 
chairs,  which  is  most  en- 
grossing. In  the  author's 
work,  "A  Handbook  of 
Windsor  Chairs,"  that  im- 
portant subject  is  given 
careful  attention.  The  high 
chair  here  shown  was 
brought  to  light  after  that 
little  volume  was  issued. 
Since  that  time  one  or  two 
others  like  it  have  been 
found .  It  was  brought  from 
Philadelphia  by  a  woman 
who  died  at  Exeter  at  95 
years  of  age.  The  sturdy, 
humorous  spread  of  the 
legs,  the  holes  in  the  front 
arm  posts  for  a  bar,  the 
massive  comb  and  especially 
thefine  Queen  Anne  stretch- 
er, all  bespeak  the  earliest 
type  of  the  Windsor.  It 
may  go  back  to  1720,  cer- 
tainly within  a  decade  of 
that  date.  One  easily  sees 
how  the  chair  arose.  The 
English  type  perhaps  de- 
rived its  name  from  the  fact  that  such  chairs  were  made  in  Bucks,  centering 
at  High  Wycombe,  and  often  went  to  London  by  boat  from  Windsor. 

Attention  has  already  been  called  to  the  "blunt  arrow"  turning  on  the 
front  of  the  Pennsylvania  slat  back  chairs.  The  same  terminals  mark 
the  earliest  Philadelphia  Windsors,  and  the  same  stretchers.  These  chairs, 
therefore,  beginning  just  as  our  century  closes,  about  1720,  mark  the 
opening  of  a  new  epoch  in  style  of  the  wooden  seated  chair,  at  first  made 
ostensibly  for  gardens,  but  shortly  commending  itself  by  its  many  merits 
so  that  it  usurped  all  other  styles  for  ordinary  uses.  For  the  parlor  the 
Dutch  style  made  its  place  good.  For  all  other  rooms  the  Windsor  was 
popular.  But  this  popularity  was  shared  in  the  Middle  States  by  the 
arched  slat  back,  and  in  New  England  by  its  plain  slat  back. 

I  284  1 


A  PAIR  of  unique  cross-stretcher  stools  with  beautifully  curved  stretch- 

_ers^  JThe  legs  are  in  the  style  of  the  six-legged  highboy.    This  pair  of  stools 

was  found  in  Newburyport.    They  are  the  hight  of  an  ordinary  chair,  and 

are  apparently  all  original.     For  similar  American  subjects  see  pages  336 

and  any  of  the  six-legged  highboys  and  dressing  tables. 

The  wood  of  these  stools  is  very  light,  probably  bass.  The  style  is  scarcely 
adapted  for  strength,  and  if  more  of  them  existed,  one  can  easily  see  that 
they  would  have  gone  to  pieces  before  this  date.  Nevertheless,  they  are  of 
exceeding  interest. 

The  covers  were  worked  many  years  ago  and  are  in  fine  condition.  They 
are  not,  however,  original,  though  very  well  adapted  for  their  purpose. 

It  will  be  noted  that  no  two  of  the  turnings  on  these  stools  are  of  the  same 
size,  a  very  common  occurrence.  The  date  would  be  the  same  as  that  of 
cabinet  furniture  in  this  style,  namely  1690-1720.  Owner:  the  author,  who 
prizes  them  more  than  anything  else  of  a  similar  sort  in  his  collection. 


[285I 


''■Ui^ 


AN  Oak  Joint  Stool,  with  vertical  legs.  Date:  1640-60.  This  possibly 
unique,  quaint  low  stool,  is  only  14^  inches  high.  It  has  lost  about  a  half 
inch  of  the  legs.  Thus  it  lacks  but  that  half  inch  of  equalling  the  hight  of 
the  Robinson  chair  on  page  177.  The  frame  is  a  scant  13  inches  square,  at 
the  feet  and  at  the  seat.  It  thus  follows  the  chair  in  another  particular,  as 
joint  stools  generally  have  legs  raking  one  way.  The  turnings  also  are  iden- 
tical with  those  on  the  chair,  not  only  as  to  style  but  as  to  length.  The 
stretcher  is  the  same,  so  also  is  the  frame.  For  these  reasons  we  assign  it  a 
date  so  early,  and  are  further  driven  to  conclude  that  the  stool  and  the  chair 
were  made  at  the  same  time,  by  the  same  person.  The  finding  of  the  chair 
and  the  stool,  at  different  times  and  places  was  a  remarkable  coincidence, 
for  the  stool  is  probably  one  of  several  made  to  go  with  the  chair,  at  a  time 
when  one  chair  was  supposed  to  answer  for  the  head  of  the  house,  the  other 
members  of  the  family  being  accommodated  on  stools.  It  is  owned  by  the 
author. 


286] 


A  MAPLE  Splay-legged  Stool  with  a  pine  drawer,  owned  by  Mr.  Chaun- 
cey  C.  Nash.  This  piece  is  apparently  a  stool,  although  it  has,  of  course, 
lost  something  at  the  bottom.  It  may  have  been  two  or  three  inches  higher, 
but  even  so  could  have  been  used  as  a  stool.  There  is  no  possible  reason 
why  a  high  stool  should  not  have  done  service  as  a  stand  just  as  at  the  present 
time  we  often  place  articles  in  a  chair  that  more  properly,  in  the  view  of  a 
precise  housewife,  should  go  on  a  table.  A  piece  of  this  sort  is  so  rare  that 
it  gets  much  more  attention  than  would  otherwise  be  the  case.  There  is 
charm  in  small  pieces,  commonly  expressed  by  the  well  understood,  but  in- 
accurate term  "cunning."    Top,  ii^  by  i8>^;  hight,  16^. 


[287I 


ON  the  right  is  a  joint 
stool  from  which  the  feet 
have  been  worn  off  or 
disintegrated  by  decay. 
While  we  are  on  this  sub- 
ject of  the  feet  of  pieces 
of  furniture,  we  may  say 
that  the  wear  was  not  as 
great  as  the  decay.  If 
the  pieces  stood  on  damp 
floors  as  they  often  did, 
or  were  put  into  bacl<. 
rooms,  they  were  often 
decayed  from  one  to  three 
inches. 

The  joint  stool,  as  a 
rule,  splays  in  one  di- 
rection, and  has  a  frame 
in  that  respect  quite  like 
that  of  the  butterfly  ta- 
ble except  in  size.  A  good  number  ot  joint  stools  have  come  to  light  in 
very  recent  years.  The  author  knows  of  at  least  a  dozen  in  Boston  alone 
which  have  been  found  since  the  Great  War.  Yet  they  are  among  the 
most  prized  pieces  in  any  collection.  The  seat  itself  is  usually  rather 
thin — about  three-quarters  of  an  inch.  It  projects  at  the  ends  several 
times  as  much  as  at  the  sides  and  in  most  of  the  earliest  specimens  had 
the  thumb-nail  moulding  on  all  sides.  The  frames  are  sometimes  oak, 
though  maple  is  more  usual.  The  seat  is  pine  or  maple.  The  hight  is 
the  same  as  that  of  a  chair  or  a  little  higher.  There  is  a  dividing  line 
where  it  becomes  doubtful  in  some  cases  whether  a  piece  is  a  joint  stool 
or  a  low  table.  The  use  of  the  joint  stool  was  very  common  in  the  ancient 
times;  probably  every  house  possessed  a  considerable  number.  The  speci- 
men here  shown  dates  1670-1690,  and  is  owned  by  the  author. 

The  term  "joint"  is  only  a  variant  of  "joined."  "Joint"  or  joined  is  used 
to  distinguish  furniture  from  that  which  was  turned,  and  which  had  no 
mortise  and  tenon.  The  joined  furniture  being  more  valuable,  the  specifica- 
tion was  made  in  inventories,  to  indicate  its  character. 


I288I 


A  LONG,  turned,  upholstered  stool.  Stools  of  this  character  always 
challenge  our  careful  attention,  as  more  likely  to  be  English  than  American. 
Many  poorly  joined  English  pieces  are  being  brought  to  this  country;  and 
as  they  are  made  from  old  wood,  they  deceive  the  novice.  The  joint  is  the 
point  at  which  the  spurious  nature  of  the  article  may  be  determined.  An 
old  joint,  if  it  is  solid,  has  an  appearance  which  cannot  easily  be  counter- 
feited. These  pieces  were  upholstered  in  various  materials,  but  leather  is 
the  most  suitable.    In  the  piece  above  all  is  original  except  the  cover. 

Below  appears  a  smaller  upholstered 
joint  stool.  The  ownership  of  these 
articles  at  present  is  unknown.  Of 
course  such  pieces  were  turned  to  match 
turned  chairs. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  turning  on 
the  piece  at  the  top  closely  resembles 
that  on  gate  leg  tables.  The  turning 
of  the  piece  below  is  quainter  and 
earlier. 

The  distinction  between  English  and 
American  joint  stools  is  in  the  greater 
simplicity  of  the  pieces  found  here, 
especially  in  the  stretchers. 


[289] 


■■^^S^^m- 


TWO  joint  stools  belonging  to  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney.    The  piece  on  the  left 
is  the  more  usual  style  of  the  American  stool. 

The  piece  on  the  right  is  of  the  heavier,  more  antique  pattern,  scarcely 
distinguishable  from  the  English  stools.  The  simple  carved  ornaments 
on  the  bottoms  of  the  frame-rails  also  assimilate  this  piece  to  the  English 
style,  but  both  pieces  are  regarded  as  American.  The  only  manner  of  dic- 
tinguishing  the  English  from  the  American,  in  the  case  of  oak,  is  the  color 
of  the  wood.  While  many  claim  that  they  can  at  once  detect  the  difference, 
the  author  frankly  admits  that  he  has  not  only  been  deceived,  but  has  seen 
much  more  expert  judges  deceived.  It  is  the  same  old  question  of  the  color 
of  American  oak.  If  the  English  oak  is  darker  than  our  own  it  may  easily 
be  age,  or  creosoting  by  the  smoke  of  hundreds  of  years.  The  author  knows 
that  he  will  be  challenged  in  this  statement.  What,  however,  is  to  be  said 
when  one  of  the  lightest  pieces  of  oak  ever  seen  is  pronounced  English,  and 
when  pieces  which  we  know  came  from  England,  recently,  are  pronounced 
American.?  There  is,  of  course,  in  the  mind  of  a  man  who  has  a  genius  for 
such  things,  and  who  has  handled  them  for  years,  what  he  calls  a  feeling 
which  warns  him  if  an  article  is  English.  If,  however,  this  feeling  is  un- 
reliable, it  would  appear  that  it  is  a  matter  of  judgment,  and  judgment 
errs. 

The  date  of  the  left  hand  piece  may  be  1670-1690;  that  of  the  right  hand 
piece  may  be  1640-1670. 


I  290 


A  SQUAB  which  was  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Brooks  Reed.  This  very 
remarkable  piece  is  not  as  large  as  it  looks  since  no  attempt  is  made  at  scaling 
the  furniture  here  shown.  It  is  about  the  hight  of  a  chair.  The  marks  of 
style  which  attract  the  collector  here  are  the  high  stretcher,  the  middle 
stretcher,  the  ball  turnings,  and  the  hollowed  top  made  for  a  cushion  from 
which  the  name  squab  is  taken.  The  author  has  never  seen  another  Ameri- 
can piece  like  this.    Its  date  may  be  1670-1690. 

An  interesting  question  arises  with  the  high  stretcher  so  placed  on  one 
side  and  not  on  the  other.  This  construction  is  not  unique.  It  was  easier, 
of  course,  to  draw  the  feet  under  the  stool  on  the  side  unobstructed  by  the 
high  stretcher.  The  cushions  placed  on  furniture  were,  as  they  are  now, 
made  of  every  conceivable  material.  They  were  often  stuffed  with  flock  or 
hair  and  their  covering  was  sometimes  of  a  very  elegant  character. 


[  291  1 


A  fashion  is  noted  of  showing 
ostensibly  old  stools  and  tables 
with  the  leg  coming  square  to 
the  floor  as  if  this  was  a  mark  of 
age  or  of  original  condition.  In 
no  case  have  we  ever  seen  an 
early  American  piece  that  was 
turned  above  the  stretcher,  and 
was  not  also  turned  below  it. 

Date:  1650-1680. 

We  cannot  reconcile  our- 
selves to  the  disappearance  of 
articles  so  useful  as  joint  stools. 
There  is  nothing  in  modern 
furniture  to  take  their  places. 
Once  they  were  looked  down 
upon,   their  day  was  over. 


ON  the  left  is  a  joint  stool  be- 
longing to  Miss  C.  M.  Traver 
of  New  York.  It  shows  better 
than  most  stools  the  nature  of 
the  seat  and  its  molding.  The 
date  is  1670-1690. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  page  ap- 
pears a  heavily  turned  joint 
stool  on  which  the  top  is  not 
original.  The  turning  of  this 
piece  has  an  English  look,  but 
we  are  persuaded  that  it  is 
American.  The  stool  is  smaller 
than  usual .  The  aver;^ge  length 
may  be  placed  perhaps  at  20 
inches.  Gate  leg  tables  are 
sometimes  found  with  turnings 
like  this  stool.  We  know  that 
some  of  these  tables  are  Ameri- 
can. This  piece  is  fortunate  in 
showing  nearly  all  the  feet, 
which    are    original. 


I  292  1 


A  DAY-BED  belonging  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  It  is  of  a  simple  but  satis- 
factory style.  In  this  instance  the  posts  at  the  head  are  turned  to  match 
the  other  legs,  rather  than  in  the  usual  curved  style  of  a  chair  leg  of  the 
period.  The  head  in  this  couch  is  very  plain.  Nearly  all  couches  were  made 
with  swinging  heads,  supported  by  chains.  Many  heads  have  now  been 
fixed  in  an  immovable  position.  Upholstery  was  not  originally  attached 
to  any  old  couch  we  have  seen.   There  was  a  movable  cushion. 

The  material  of  couches  was,  if  the  turnings  were  simple,  likely  to  be 
maple;  if  elaborate  or  carved,  walnut  was  more  usual.  Oak  had  passed  out 
of  use  for  such  purpose — unless  in  extremely  rare  instances. 

Couches  were  very  light,  and  readily  moved,  more  so  than  the  later  sofa. 

They  exist  in  small  numbers.  Perhaps  there  may  be  forty  fair  examples 
known  aside  from  the  Pennsylvania  day-bed.  They  are  limited  to  the 
walnut  period,  even  when  made  of  maple,  that  is  to  say,  1670-1730.  This 
example  is  perhaps  to  be  dated,  1690-1710. 

The  day-bed  may  be  either  the  most  graceful  or  the  most  ugly  piece  of 
furniture.  But  whatever  its  appearance  it  was  most  useful.  Without 
any  mechanism  to  change  it  was  always  available  in  emergency  as  a  very 
comfortable  bed.  It  is  gratifying  that  the  great  merit  of  its  shape  is  now 
being  recognized.  It  is,  however,  a  misnomer  to  use  the  term  day-bed  if 
a  couch  has  both  head  and  foot  rest. 


I  293  1 


A  CHAISE  Longue,  belonging  to  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Reinhold  Faelten  of 
Boston.  Seventeenth  century  sofas  were  extremely  rare  and  the  writer 
is  not  aware  of  any  existing  specimens  of  American  origin.  The  piece  in 
the  Essex  Institute  is  avowedly  of  foreign  origin.  The  chaise  longue,  as  it  is 
called  in  France,  the  couch  in  English  and  the  day-bed  in  America,  seems 
to  have  supplied  the  place  of  a  sofa.  The  specimens  made  with  eight  legs 
are,  other  things  being  equal,  regarded  superior  to  the  six-leg  style.  The 
piece  before  us  has  curious  Spanish  feet,  being  carved  on  three  sides,  on 
the  second  and  third  pair  of  legs;  and  at  the  bottom  being  carved  on  four 
sides,  an  otherwise  unknown  variety.  Probably  it  was  restored  wrongly. 
The  theory  of  the  style  of  the  chaise  longue  is  that  it  is  a  truly  long  chair, 
made  as  if  the  seat  of  a  chair  were  drawn  out  to  couch  length,  while  the  head 
is  left  without  change.     Date:  1 690-1 710. 


[  294  I 


THE  Parlor  Chamber  in  the  Concord  Antiquarian  Society  House,  being 
the  Captain  Brown  House.  The  couch  at  the  left  is  a  well  known  and  ex- 
quisite example  of  a  Flemish  type  and  has  been  shown  hitherto,  but  we  illus- 
trate it  here  in  combination  with  chairs  of  the  same  period.  The  lowering 
of  the  head  was  doubtless  intended  to  extend  somewhat  the  length  of  the 
couch.     Date:  1670- 1700. 

The  couch  above  with  the  chair  to  match,  belonged  to  the  Reverend 
Peter  Bulkeley,  the  first  minister  of  Concord,  and  the  ancestor  of  Governor 
Bulkeley  of  Hartford.  This  specimen  is  one  of  the  finest  found.  Another 
very  elegant  example  is  that  formerly  in  the  Dwight  Prouty  collection. 
There  are  perhaps  not  more  than  a  dozen  known  of  this  grade  of  merit. 

The  collection  of  the  Concord  Antiquarian  Society  is  very  notably  good , 
being  composed  of  some  unique  pieces.  We  know  of  no  other  Museum  col- 
lection in  a  town  the  size  of  Concord  of  equal  merit  with  this,  or  indeed  in 
any  public  collection  aside  from  the  two  or  three  greatest. 


I  295  1 


A  TURNED  Couch,  the  property  of  Dr.  William  G.  Erving  of  Wash- 
ington. It  will  be  noted  that  while  the  legs  follow  the  typical  good  Jacobean 
style,  the  head  has  the  Dutch  style  of  splat.  Also  the  comparison  is  worth 
while  between  the  methods  of  attaching  cross  stretchers  in  this  example  and 
in  other  couches.  They  are  near  the  bottom  of  the  piece  and  differ  from 
those  in  the  first  chaise  longue  shown  in  this  book.  This  construction  is 
better,  since  to  bore  from  three  directions  into  a  post  as  in  some  examples, 
at  the  same  elevation,  must  very  greatly  weaken  it.  Also  the  leg  is  better 
braced  by  the  method  shown  here.  Size:  Length,  72  inches;  width,  26^ 
inches;  hight  of  frame,  i63^  inches;  hight  of  head,  363^  inches. 

In  an  example  shown  on  the  previous  page,  and  all  others  in  this  book, 
except  the  Pennsylvanian  types,  the  stretchers  are  kept  low  and  are  far 
more  effectual  in  that  position. 

As  an  example  of  turning  this  couch  is  attractive.  The  maker  was  called 
on  to  devise  a  very  long  yet  graceful  stretcher  for  the  sides.  Date: 
1700-1710. 

The  method  of  forming  the  seat  was  the  same  as  that  followed  in  many 
beds  of  the  period.  Sail  cloth  was  laced  across.  This  made  necessary 
the  covering  of  the  couch  with  some  sort  of  cushion.  The  more  finished 
cane  couch  did  not  strictly  require  a  cover.  But  to  use  a  cane  couch  with- 
out a  cover  would  speedily  destroy  the  cane.  And  when  the  cane  was 
covered  there  was  no  need  for  a  seat  so  elaborate,  or  fragile. 

The  custom  of  using  a  short  couch,  in  the  French  style,  bringing  up  to  its 
foot  a  lengthening  stool,  obtained  no  particular  recognition  in  America. 

I296I 


A  DAY-BED  belonging  to  the  Metropolitan  Museum.  The  arched  and 
scrolled  stretchers  give  us  a  date  practically  the  same  as  that  of  the  pieces 
whose  legs  are  carved  in  the  Flemish  style,  namely  1670-1700.  The  varieties 
which  we  find,  some  with  turned  legs  and  some  with  carved  legs,  are  merely 
a  matter  of  local  taste  or  expediency.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  foot  of  the 
day-bed  does  not  carry  a  scrolled  stretcher  in  any  instance.  It  is  usual  for 
these  pieces  to  be  made  with  both  sides  alike.  This  photograph  does  not 
fully  show  the  back,  but  it  is  like  the  front.  It  is  possible  that  the  caning 
is  original,  in  some  of  these  ancient  pieces;  but  if  so,  it  must  have  been  pre- 
served with  unusual  care.  It  is  always  fine,  and  does  not  have  a  finishing 
strip  on  the  outside. 

We  have  no  record  of  the  first  designer  of  the  day-bed.  The  style  is  being 
revived  at  present.  It  is  certainly  far  better  than  the  Empire  "lounge," 
to  which  we  bid  good-bye  with  pleasure.  It  no  more  needs  a  back  than 
does  a  bed. 

Incidentally  a  bed  with  a  front  like  a  head-board  recently  came  to  our 
attention.  Placed  at  the  side  of  a  room,  it  compelled  the  occupant  to  climb 
to  the  head  from  the  foot  and  was  without  foot -board. 


297 


THE  simple  day-bed  above  is  so  nearly  like  that  on  the  opposite  page 
that  its  insertion  here  is,  in  part,  to  show  the  method  of  lacing,  or  trussing 
the  canvas.  This  couch  is  the  property  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum. 
Date:  1690-1710. 

Among  the  woods  used  in  early  American  furniture  the  most  important 
after  the  period  of  carving,  is  maple.  That  is  a  statement  applying  to  the 
frequency  of  its  use.  If  we  regard  furniture  from  the  decorated  aspect, 
the  next  wood  after  oak,  in  importance,  is  walnut. 

The  Virginia  Walnut  largely  used  even  as  far  north  as  middle  Pennsyl- 
vania was  perhaps  not  found  in  the  North  as  a  native  wood.  The  black 
walnut  is  not  very  uncommon  in  Northern  furniture.  The  so-called  white 
walnut  was  hickory  and  its  use  was  confined  to  bent  work  or  places  where 
great  sti^ength  was  required.  Hickory  was  formerly  plentiful  in  New  Eng- 
land. Growing  in  forests  it  was  free  from  knots.  "The  cattle  shake 
their  walnut  bows,"  wrote  Whittier  on  the  edge  of  New  Hampshire. 


I298I 


AN  all  turned  day-bed,  the  property  of  Mr.  Hollis  French.  It  shows  such 
a  cushion  as  was  added  to  the  foundation  on  the  couch  on  the  preceding  page. 
There  are  at  the  head  two  stretchers,  a  possibly  unique  feature.  One  sees 
here  that  the  rails  are  framed  into  a  foot  post,  whereas  in  the  last  example, 
we  have  legs  identical  with  the  other  pairs.     Date:  1690-1710. 

Hickory  did  not  enter  appreciably  into  fine  furniture.  Even  in  the  17th 
century  we  seldom  found  it  in  the  spindles  of  chairs. 

It  is  probable  that  the  colonists  did  not  at  first  feel  its  admirable  quali- 
ties.   Once  the  Windsor  Chair  had  come  in,  hickory  found  its  place. 

Beech  was  less  common  here  than  in  England.  Maple,  therefore,  for  the 
most  part  took  its  place.  Enough  beech  was  available  had  it  been  really 
preferable.  The  woods  while  of  similar  grain,  can  be  distinguished  with 
ease.  Ash  was  the  material  for  great  turned  chairs.  Oak  held  its  place  for 
framing  and  carving  to  the  end  of  the  17th  century  in  cabinet  pieces. 


I  299  1 


A  WALNUT  Day-bed  with  Spanish  feet  on  the  last  pair  of  legs,  the  others 
being  plain  turned.  It  is  the  property  of  the  author.  There  was  an  ancient 
inscription  attached  to  the  under  side  declaring  that  the  piece  belonged  to 
Clarissa  Griswold,  of  Killingworth,  Connecticut.  The  date  is  about  1690 
1710.  There  is  on  the  piece  as  shown  an  upholstered  frame  laid  on  top  of 
the  original  frame.  The  author  has  now  removed  this  excrescence.  In 
every  case  that  has  come  to  our  attention  so  far  there  was  a  loose  cushion 
above  the  reeding,  or  the  caning,  or  the  canvas  of  the  seat.  The  use  of  the 
chaise  longue,  so  far  as  fashion  is  concerned,  seems  to  have  gone  out  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  i8th  century  or  a  little  later.  It  was  supplanted  in 
popular  favor  by  the  Queen  Anne  and  Chippendale  sofas  with  the  back  on 
the  long  side.  Those  pieces  are  practically  all  too  short  for  use  as  day-beds. 
It  is  too  bad  that  an  article  so  convenient  should,  at  the  dicate  of  fashion, 
be  disused.  In  the  piece  before  us  the  splat  at  the  head  would  indicate  a 
somewhat  later  date  since  it  is  purely  Dutch.  The  merging  of  styles  in  this 
manner  is  not  by  any  means  disagreeable,  as  the  connection  is  always  be- 
tween two  adjacent  styles,  and  marks  a  growth  rather  than  an  abrupt 
change.  This  piece  is  longer  than  usual,  being  74  inches  over  all.  The  width 
is  2134  inches;  the  height  of  the  head  is  37^4  inches.  The  frame  is  14  inches 
high. 


I  300] 


A  FLEMISH  Day-bed,  owner  Mrs.  Rogers  of  Hingham.  This  piece  has 
often  been  seen  at  the  annual  exhibit  of  the  Arts  and  Crafts  Society  at 
Hingham.  It  is  a  very  elegant  specimen  and  in  good  condition.  It  will  be 
noted  that  the  arch  of  the  stretchers  is  filled  in  with  a  scrolled  member; 
also  that  the  feet  or  more  properly,  shoes  beneath  the  feet,  are  not  very 
much  worn.  The  head  of  this  piece  is  especially  good,  being  carved  very 
well  indeed,  though  its  upholstery  should  be  removed.  The  wood  is  walnut. 
Date:  1670-1700. 

The  finish  of  early  furniture  is  a  subject  concerning  which  discussion  has 
grown  warm.  An  English  author  of  much  prominence  refers  to  the  "nasty 
French  polish,"  as  if  varnishes  had  not  been  known  and  used  for  many 
hundred  years,  and  as  if  there  were  something  intrinsically  bad  about  them. 
Varnish  has  its  place  on  very  old  furniture,  but  not  on  the  class  of  furniture 
shown  in  this  volume. 

There  is  a  strong  presumption  that  the  earliest  turned  furniture  had  no 
finish  at  all.  Many  chairs  of  pilgrim  date  show  no  trace  of  finish.  The  old 
surface  of  such  a  piece  of  furniture  is  very  desirable.  It  cannot  be  counter- 
feited. 


I  301  1 


A  HANDSOME  Spanish  foot  day-bed,  the  property  of  Mr.  Martin  Gay 
of  Hingham.  So  far  as  we  have  noted  this  piece  is  different  from  others  in 
that  it  has  no  less  than  four  strings  of  stretchers.  The  two  lower  sets  of 
stretchers,  it  will  be  noted,  are  totally  lacking  from  all  the  other  pieces 
which  we  have  shown.  The  excellent  effect,  combined  with  the  greater 
strength  secured,  render  these  sets  of  stretchers  very  commendable.  The 
shaping  of  the  Spanish  feet  is  excellent  and  the  head  is  elegant.  Date: 
1690-1710.     The  wood  is  walnut. 

Walnut  was  the  principal  furniture  wood  of  Italy  at  the  time  of  the  Re- 
naissance and  afterwards.  The  rich,  ornate  productions,  with  much  carving 
and  gilding,  on  walnut,  which  came  from  Italy  to  France  and  England, 
brought  in  the  fashion  of  walnut.  The  wood,  in  its  lighter  colorings,  is 
well  adapted  for  carvings.  The  black  walnut  was  somewhat  too  sombre, 
and  the  grain  rather  inferior  to  the  Southern  walnut,  which  in  old,  often 
washed  table  tops,  has  bleached  very  greatly.  The  color  can  be  restored 
somewhat  by  oil  as  the  wood  is  hungry,  as  cabinet  makers  say. 


[302  1 


A  PENNSYLVANIA  Day-bed,  the  property  of  Mr.  Hollis  French.  This 
style  seems  to  have  been  popular  in  Pennsylvania.  The  legs  are  turned  in 
a  very  heavy  form,  averaging  about  two  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter. 
The  same' heavy  ball  and  ring  stretcher  is  used  as  appears  in  Queen  Anne 
furniture  and  other  turned  furniture  of  its  date.  In  the  particular  specimen 
before  us  the  head  posts,  instead  of  being  shaped,  as  they  are  in  the  example 
on  the  page  following,  are  turned  and  slanted.  It  is  a  curious  and  interesting 
attempt  at  getting  the  feeling  of  chairs  without  using  the  usual  square  post. 

The  heads  of  the  Pennsylvania  day-beds  are  made  of  reeded  banisters. 
The  student  should  notice  the  difference  between  this  head  and  that  on 
the  next  page  which  is  made  solid  in  the  half  moon  shape,  whereas 
this  one  is  arched  below  as  well  as  above.  The  horizontal  end  member  of 
these  heads  was  made  to  strike  against  the  post  when  the  chains  were 
drawn  up,  to  prevent  the  piece  falling  forward  on  the  couch. 

In  some  examples  of  the  Pennsylvania  day-bed  the  middle  stretcher  is 
placed  higher  than  the  end  stretchers  in  order  to  avoid  cutting  away  so  much 
wood  at  one  point.  While  the  scheme  is  meritorious  from  the  standpoint 
of  construction,  the  effect  is  not  as  harmonious.  Borrowing  an  expression 
from  automobile  parlance,  one  loses  the  stream  line,  by  varying  the  hight 
of  the  stretchers.  The  seats  or  frame  of  these  Pennsylvania  pieces  were 
always  reeded  so  far  as  we  have  noted  in  the  dozen  examples  which  have 
come  to  our  attention.  They  are  very  comfortable,  substantial  and  quaint 
articles  of  furniture.     Date:  1710-1730. 


(  303  1 


A  DAY-BED,  similar  to  the  one  on  the  preceding  page.  This  piece 
shows  the  usual  square  leg  at  the  head  post,  which  is  here  roughly  notched 
to  give  the  semblance  of  an  analogy  to  the  turned  legs.  The  present  owner- 
ship is  unknown. 

Attention  is  here  called  to  the  marked  similarity  between  the  Pennsyl- 
vania day-bed  and  the  earliest  type  of  Windsor  chairs,  which  were  made  in 
Philadelphia.  The  stretchers  on  some  of  these  chairs  are  identical  with 
those  on  the  day-bed  before  us.  The  leg  also  is  of  practically  the  same  con- 
tour, except  that  it  is  smaller  on  the  chairs.  This  analogy  helps  us  to  arrive 
at  a  date.  Of  course  the  stretcher  is  borrowed  from  the  Queen  Anne  style 
and  the  only  difference  in  style  between  the  day-bed  before  us  and  the 
Philadelphia  Windsor  chair  base,  is  that  the  Windsor  legs  are  raked.  Of 
course  the  Windsor  stretcher  is  medial.    An  example  is  shown  on  page  284. 

Date:  1710-1730. 

This  day-bed  avoids  the  weakness  at  the  head  shown  on  the  more  stylish 
Flemish  couches,  which  always  have  a  strongly  marked  angle  in  the  head 
posts  beginning  at  the  level  of  the  frame.  In  the  Pennsylvania  pieces  that 
angle  is  attempted  by  a  kind  of  half-hearted  bend  or  slight  bevel  on  the 
front,  in  some  instances;  and  in  other  instances,  like  that  on  the  preceding 
page,  there  is  no  attempt  at  curvature.  The  effect,  of  course,  is  to  gain 
strength  at  the  expense  of  grace. 


304 


A  DAY-BED  belonging  to  J.  Milton  Coburn,  M.D.  This  interesting 
piece  may  be  classed  among  country-made  furniture;  that  is  not  to  say  that 
it  is  any  the  less  meritorious,  but  that  it  was  made  at  a  point  where  the 
artisan  was  removed  from  the  direct  influence  of  an  established  style.  He 
therefore  worked  out  from  memory  or  from  his  own  ideas  the  various  details 
of  his  construction.  In  this  instance  he  has  placed  seven  splats  or  spindles 
on  the  head  and  has  made  it  fixed,  in  the  form  of  the  earlier  Flemish  chair 
crest  in  which  the  posts  are  doweled  into  the  top  rail. 

The  same  interesting  evidence  of  the  influence  of  individuality  is  shown 
in  the  stretchers.  The  legs  are  of  a  somewhat  lighter  character  than  in 
the  specimens  heretofore  shown  in  this  work.  Such  examples  as  that  before 
us  have  the  quality  of  American  work,  which  is  always  marked  by  greater 
variety  than  that  of  the  English. 

When  we  attempt  to  date  this  piece  we  are  at  somewhat  of  a  loss  for  the 
very  reason  that  it  is  individual.  We  shall  not  be  far  astray  in  giving  as  wide 
a  spread  to  the  date  as  1710-1740. 

In  ending  our  treatment  of  day-beds  we  cannot  avoid  concluding:  Their 
existence  is  another  proof  that  our  ancestors  had  not  the  iron  constitutions 
with  which  they  have  been  credited.  They  found  it  important  to  recline 
even  in  the  day  time  when  they  could  afford  it — like  their  children's 
children. 


I  305  1 


V 


A  CHILD'S  settle  and  a  wing  chair  to  match.  These  charming  little 
evidences  of  attention  paid  to  child  life  are  the  property  of  J.  Milton  Co- 
burn,  M.D.  They  are  the  only  pieces  of  that  character,  made  to  match, 
that  the  author  has  seen.  Each  has  the  same  finger  holes  at  the  top  by 
which  the  piece  may  be  handled.  The  object  of  making  the  holes  rather 
than  cutting  out  a  large  piece  was  to  conserve  the  strength  of  the  wood. 
This  little  settle  has  its  counterparts.  The  owner  once  had  such  a  settle 
which  bore  marks  on  the  end  showing  that  it  was  used  as  a  pung  seat,  to 
take  the  place  in  winter  of  the  usual  wagon  seat  so  common  in  New  York 
State  and  Western  Massachusetts.  It  was  almost  identical  with  the  piece 
before  us.  There  is  no  evidence  that  Dr.  Coburn's  piece  here  was  ever  used 
for  any  other  purpose  than  a  settle.  We  arrive  in  these  pieces  at  the  pine 
period  and  the  simpler  construction  of  the  humble  home.  The  date  is 
1 730-1 780.  We  give  a  long  range  of  years  because  these  articles  continued 
to  be  made  thirty  or  forty  years  each  side  of  the  middle  of  the  i8th  Century. 

The  settle  was  the  sofa  of  the  poor,  or  of  the  well-to-do,  for  kitchen  use. 
In  English  forms,  with  carving,  it  is  a  pretentious  piece.  We  have  not  seen 
an  American  carved  settle. 


306  ] 


IN  this  picture  the  figures  are  seated  on  a  pine  settle,  with  their  feet 
upon  a  mat  made  of  corn  husks.  It  is  said  that  the  knowledge  of  mats  of 
this  character  was  derived  from  the  Indians.  The  material  was  unlimited. 
We  have  no  picture  without  the  figures,  although  they  do  not  obscure  the 
outline  of  the  settle  at  the  end.  It  is  the  usual,  and  formerly  common,  pine 
style,  made  with  the  solid  back  without  paneling.  The  seat,  as  a  rule,  is 
hinged  so  as  to  form  beneath  it  a  chest  which  was  a  receptacle  for  wood, 
for  Indian  meal  or  for  any  other  articles. 

The  pine  settle  was  moved  about  a  good  deal,  as  in  the  nature  of  the  case, 
it  was  needed  to  draw  up  to  the  fireplace  to  shield  the  back  from  the  cold 
draughts  which  made  in  toward  the  fireplace  from  every  quarter  of  the  room. 

The  use  of  pine  in  settles  was  especially  important  because  the  pieces 
needed  to  be  light  in  proportion  to  their  size  for  easy  removal.  The  contour 
of  the  end  board  varies  very  greatly  in  the  different  specimens.  That  be- 
fore us  is  counted  a  very  good  shape.  The  length  of  such  pieces  varied  from 
four  to  six  feet;  about  four  and  a  half  to  five  feet  being  the  usual  length. 


I  307  ] 


Beds  and  Couches  in  the  Scheme  of  Civilization 

IT  appears  that  the  northern  nations  have  dignified  the  bed  far  more  than 
the  classical  nations.  The  farther  south  we  go  the  less  attention  we  find  paid 
to  beds.  Among  the  simpler  peoples  of  the  Orient,  and  especially  among 
the  nomads  the  bed  as  an  article  of  furniture  did  not  exist.  Nations  dwelling 
in  permanent  houses  of  some  architectural  pretensions,  as  the  Romans,  had 
very  small  sleeping  apartments,  like  monk's  cells,  and  their  beds  were 
couches. 

Architectural  beds  among  the  Flemings  are  wonderful  creations.  The 
Bretons  have  elaborate  bunks,  with  a  screen  in  front,  and  a  step  before 
them.  A  bed  in  the  Quincy  Homestead,  Quincy,  just  fills  a  space  built  for 
it,  and  is  enclosed  by  two  doors.  Its  date  is  after  our  period,  but  it  shows 
the  tendency  to  place  a  bed  in  a  retired  position. 

On  the  other  hand  when,  as  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  great  beds,  some 
of  them  twenty  feet  high,  were  constructed,  they  became  the  most 
important  articles  of  furniture,  and  in  wills  beds  with  their  furniture  are 
often  devised  when  no  other  furniture  is  mentioned.  It  is  known  that  a  few 
great  carved  beds  were  brought  to  America.  The  settlers  however  found 
they  could  get  on  without  such  beds,  and  they  reserved  their  energies  for 
furniture  more  in  evidence.  To  them,  up  to  1720  or  1730,  a  bedstead  was 
little  more  than  a  plain  frame  for  the  bed  and  the  curtain  around  it.  Far 
more  attention  was  given  to  the  materials  for  covering  the  frame  than  to 
the  structure  itself.  We  find  many  records  of  heavy,  elaborate  and  expensive 
bed  draperies.  As  the  fashion  came  in  of  allowing  the  posts  to  show,  more 
care  was  given  to  beauty  of  construction,  as  in  the  middle  and  latter  parts 
of  the  1 8th  Century. 

The  Restoration  of  Antique  Furniture 

IF  furniture  is  restored  so  that  its  age  is  not  readily  apparent  the  advan- 
tage of  the  old  over  the  new  furniture  is  lost.  This  is  more  obvious  in  furni- 
ture ot  the  Pilgrim  Century  than  in  later  instances.  Anything  new  added 
to  a  very  early  piece  contrasts  glaringly  with  the  old.  If  the  old  is  made 
to  agree  with  such  additions  it  must  be  practically  made  over.  This  is  a 
great  disaster.  Many  ancient  pieces  of  great  value  are  ruined  by  this 
means.  The  taste  for  collecting  old  furniture  sometimes  becomes  edu- 
cated in  advance  of  the  best  taste  in  restoring  it.  The  false  taste  has  often 
gone  so  far  as  to  varnish  the  interiors  of  drawers  on  17th  Century  pieces! 
The  sense  of  wear  and  use  on  early  furniture  is  its  greatest  charm,  and  its 
highest  commercial  value.  Both  of  these  are  destroyed  by  restoration. 
Many  fine  tops  of  tables  have  been  thrown  away  because  they  were  old. 
For  what  then  was  the  old  piece  wanted  ? 

[308] 


A  PINE  settle  belonging  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  It  is  64  inches  long.  The 
arms  are  35  inches  high,  and  the  back  52  inches  high.  The  seat  is  16  inches 
deep,  and  the  height  is  the  same.  The  candle  shown  is  struck  by  its  spiked 
base,  into  the  wood.  It  is  not  a  part  of  the  settle.  Sometimes  a  settle  had 
a  folding  central  arm,  as  a  candle  rest. 

The  ten  panels  here,  and  in  the  specimen  shown  on  page  311,  are  raised, 
in  the  early  style. 

The  advantage  of  paneling  the  backs  of  settles  was  slight,  so  far  as  use 
was  concerned.  Hence  most  of  those  found  are  not  paneled.  When  found 
as  here,  they  were  the  successors  of  English  tradition,  or  were  paneled  for 
the  sake  of  appearance. 

We  seem  not  to  find  cushions  for  settles,  but  no  doubt  they  were  some- 
times used.  The  seats  are  never  shaped  and  are  rather  uncomfortable. 
They  certainly  do  not  permit  a  slouchy  posture.  Tall  candle  stands,  hang- 
ing Betty  lamps,  or  a  candle  held  in  the  hand  were  the  means  for  reading. 


[  309 


A  BUILT-IN  Settle  with 
one  end  only.  This  settle  is 
part  of  the  structure  in  a  17th 
Century  house  in  Wrentham. 
A  board,  close  to  the  left 
door,  would  have  obstructed 
the  passage  so  that  this  short 
settle  was  built  in.  It  rests 
upon  the  protruding  sill  of 
the  house  which  is  cut  into  to 
afford  an  opening  for  the  door. 
The  doors  of  this  house  still, 
for  the  greater  part,  have 
their  original  wooden  latches. 
This  is  the  only  instance  of  a 
built-in  settle  within  doors, 
that  has  come  to  the  author's 
attention,  though  they  were 
common  on  the  porches  of 
American  Dutch  houses. 
Date:  1670-1690,  possibly  the 
oldest  known. 


Below  is  a  quaint  set- 
tle rocker.  It  will  be 
observed  that  the  foot 
rest  is  concaved  to  match 
the  ends  of  the  rockers. 
It  was  doubtless  designed 
to  raise  the  feet  from  the 
floor  so  as  to  avoid 
chilblains.  The  piece  is 
owned  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Beh- 
rend.  It  seems  to  have 
been  "built  for  two"  as 
its  length  will  not  admit 
more.  Date  very  doubt- 
ful, perhaps  1740-90. 


(  310I 


A  PINE  Paneled  Settle,  the  property  of  the  Rhode  Island  School  of  De- 
sign. This  piece  is  marked  by  very  bold  knobs  on  the  fronts  of  the  end  boards 
and  by  a  strong  scroll  at  the  base  of  those  boards.  The  hood  as  usual  slants 
backward  slightly.  The  seat  is  not  designed  to  lift.  It  is  scrolled  near  the 
ends  to  avoid  awkwardness.  Size:  74  inches  long;  SS^z  high  and  20  deep. 
Date:  1 700-1 750. 

In  the  same  Museum  is  a  second  settle  very  similar.  Paneled  settles  were 
much  more  rare  than  the  plain  board  backs,  and  are  eagerly  sought  for. 
Even  the  ordinary  board  settle  is  now  uncommon.  Of  course  the  object  of 
the  hood  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  wind-ends,  and  the  hight  of  the  back — 
to  afford  protection  from  drafts  at  the  fireplace — ^where  one  otherwise  must 
turn  as  on  spit  unless  willing  to  roast  on  one  side  and  freeze  on  the  other. 
It  is,  of  course,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  back  of  the  settle  almost  in- 
variably ran  to  the  floor.  A  practical  aspect  of  the  use  of  the  settle  is  often 
lost  sight  of.  When  it  was  placed  in  front  of  the  fire,  it  obviously  spoiled 
the  unity  or  attractiveness  of  the  room,  except  for  those  who  were  seated 
upon  it;  it  was  an  entirely  utilitarian  object.  The  only  manner  in  which  it 
can  be  placed  in  a  modern  house  is  along  a  wall  near  the  fireplace. 

[311] 


!l!iH| 


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^3Sw  ■.MWt^-\ 

^-^ 

■     . 

JM 

\ 

-^ 

\ 

t 

.__ 

\ 

.WMlliiP^Mi      =^^..-.*. — ^. 


ON  the  top  of  the  preceding  page  is  a  New  York  wagon  seat.  These 
splint  bottom  seats  seem  to  have  been  very  common  in  New  York  State. 
They  are  designed  to  be  placed  in  a  market  wagon  with  sides,  which  kept 
the  piece  in  place.  When  the  vehicle  was  not  in  use  for  persons  it  was  im- 
portant to  discard  the  seat  to  make  room  for  freight.  Hence  the  happy  idea 
was  conceived  of  using  the  seat  as  a  kind  of  small  settee  in  the  house.  Owner: 
Mr.  Rudolph  P.  Pauly,  of  Boston. 

The  lower  specimen  on  the  preceding  page  is  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey 
C.  Nash.  It  is  29  inches  high;  the  seat  is  13  inches  high,  and  14  by  33^ 
inches  in  area. 

The  odd  specimen  on  this  page  is  owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  Its  base 
forms  a  crude  wooden  spring.  The  wagon  seats  date  from  any  time  in  the 
i8th  Century. 


I313  1 


WE  are  told  that  the  cradle  as  an  institution  has  been  abandoned.  We 
lament  it.  We  believe  that  someone  who  purports  to  be  wise  has  said  that 
rocking  a  child  is  bad  for  its  brains.  Had  hygienic  objections  arisen  against 
the  papoose  board  on  which  the  aborigines  are  strapped  we  could  easily 
have  allowed  that  impeachment,  but  how  any  child  could  fail  to  grow  up 
strong  from  so  rugged  a  piece  of  architecture  as  that  on  the  opposite  page 
we  cannot  understand. 

In  passing  this  aspect  of  our  subject  we  may  say  that  all  the  English 
speaking  race  up  to  the  last  generation  were  rocked  in  cradles. 

There  is  a  more  practical  reason  for  the  use  of  the  cradle  in  the  early 
days.  The  housewife  who  attended  her  own  child  in  the  simple  years  of 
American  settlement  could  not,  obviously,  be  encumbered  with  a  bed  in  the 
fire  room,  and  it  was  necessary  for  her,  in  order  to  attend  to  her  duties  and 
to  keep  her  babe  comfortably  warm,  to  have  a  cradle  in  the  room  where  she 
worked.  Her  foot  was  applied  to  the  rocker,  while  her  hands  were  busy  with 
spinning  and  her  tongue  with  singing.  Her 'heart  beat  high  with  love  and 
hope,  surrounded  thus  as  she  was  by  all  the  household  goods  and  gear. 
The  cradle  here  set  forth  has  a  remarkable  history.  The  owner  is  Mr. 
Chauncey  C.  Nash. 

The  writer  can  vouch  for  the  fact  that  he  obtained  it  from  the  Cushman 
family,  who  in  their  turn  had  it  through  inter-marriage  with  the  Fuller 
family  of  Mayflower  fame.  It  is  an  undisputed  tradition  that  it  came  down 
from  Dr.  Samuel  Euller  who  was  the  physician  of  the  Mayflower. 

The  tale  told  is  that  Peregrine  White,  born  in  Provincetown  Harbor  on 
the  Mayflower,  before  the  landing,  was  first  rocked  in  this  cradle,  which 
belonged  to  Dr.  Samuel  Fuller,  the  brother  of  Mrs.  White  and  the  officiating 
physician.  This  cradle  was  available  in  the  lading  of  the  Mayflower,  where- 
as the  wicker  cradle  now  on  exhibition  at  Pilgrim  Hall,  Plymouth,  which 
belonged  to  the  Whites,  could  not  be  reached.  The  reader  may  take  all 
these  tales  for  what  they  are  worth. 

Before  the  day  when  Americana  in  furniture  was  so  much  sought,  the 
tradition  concerning  this  cradle  would  probably  have  been  very  dear  to  the 
owner  and  the  public,  but  now  that  English  furniture  is  a  decidedly  second 
choice  with  the  collector,  not  so  much  is  being  said  about  the  English  origin 
of  our  furniture.  The  author  has  doubts  concerning  this  cradle.  An  odd 
circumstance  is  that  the  four  great  panels  in  the  sides  are  of  pine,  whereas 
the  end  panels  are  oak.  Experts  in  wood  claim  that  the  oak  of  which  the 
piece  is  chiefly  composed  is  American.  In  this  connection  we  may  call  at- 
tention to  an  odd  fact  that  the  reader  may  not  have  observed;  unfinished 
oak  will  in  process  of  time  show  darker  on  the  quartering  marks,  whereas 
a  finished  piece  of  oak  will  show  lighter  on  the  quartering  marks  and  darker 

I314I 


in  the  body  of  the  wood,  thus  reversing  the  coloring.  The  piece  before  us 
bears  no  evidence  of  any  apphcation  of  finish  nor  has  it  ever  been  cleaned. 
It  is  satisfyingly  heavy  and  substantial. 

It  is  perhaps  unique  in  having  a  gallery,  not  only  at  the  sides  of  the  hood, 
but  also  at  the  back.  The  spindles  are  of  beech.  A  delightful  feature  is  a 
half  spindle  applied  vertically  at  each  side  of  the  face  of  the  hood  just  such 
as  one  sees  on  chests.  This  applied  spindle  is  considered  among  antiquarians 
not  to  have  been  used  before  1650  so  that  this  feature  is  a  further  argument 
against  an  English  origin. 


I315I 


IN  the  Fuller  cradle  on  the  previous 
page  the  rockers  were  missing  and  were 
supplied  by  the  author  from  surface 
wood  of  the  timbers  of  the  Marsh 
House,  Wethersfield,  the  oldest  house 
in  that  town.  The  color  of  the  wood 
without  treatment  is  precisely  like  that 
^  f  ■'^^^g/^t^^^^^W^^^  of  the  rest  of  the  cradle,  a  circumstance 
v^;  'i^iSlttHHl^HMH^^^^      hardly    likely    had    the    cradle    been 

English. 

The  board  of  the  hood  is  of  pine  with 
gouge  carving  all  about  and  a  double  line  of  diamond  hatcheling. 

A  cradle  shown  in  a  glass  case  in  Pilgrim  Hall,  Plymouth,  which  also  bears 
the  tradition  of  Mayflower  ancestry,  is  not  composed  of  panels  but  is  a  plain 
pine  cradle  on  which  thin  narrow  boards  were  nailed  to  mark  false  paneling 
and  one  of  these  divisions  is  wanting  at  the  foot  of  the  cradle,  thus  showing 
a  plain  unpaneled  board.  We  must,  therefore,  consider  the  Fuller  cradle 
here  shown  a  finer  piece,  although  the  hood  of  the  cradle  in  Plymouth  is 
slightly  arched  and  composed  of  spindles  on  the  top,  an  extremely  rare  and 
charming  feature.  The  body  of  the  Plymouth  cradle  is  not  of  oak,  which 
would  speak  against  an  English  origin.  So  far  as  known  four  or  five  of  these 
great  paneled  American  cradles  have  been  found.  The  distinction  between 
them  and  the  ordinary  cradle  is  that  these  older  pieces  have  vertical  sides, 
never  splayed.  They  are  also  heavier  and  have  larger  posts.  An  odd  fact 
is  that  all  these  ancient  cradles  have  been  found  within  very  narrow  limits, 
three  of  them  within  five  or  ten  miles  of  one  another  on  the  South  Shore. 

Until  within  five  or  six  years  there  has  been  no  great  interest  in  Pilgrim 
cradles,  but  all  the  specimens,  except  that  at  Plymouth,  have  been  discovered 
within  that  time  and  there  has  been  the  highest  degree  of  avidity  in  seeking 
other  examples. 

At  the  top  of  this  page  there  is  another  example  of  a  similar  cradle  which  is 
in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  New  York.  Date:  1630-70.  It  apparently 
never  had  a  top  to  its  hood,  otherwise  there  would  be  no  meaning  in  the 
finials  at  the  head.  It  is  supposed  that  the  foot  posts  of  these  cradles  were  de- 
signed for  convenience  of  the  hand  in  rocking  but  the  writer  has  such  a  high 
idea  of  the  diligence  of  the  Pilgrim  mother  that  he  inclines  to  the  belief  that 
finials  were  purely  decorative;  that  she  might  knit  while  her  foot  rocked  the 
cradle. 


[316 


.  ^              ,'    1 

M"                                                              ;^-^'^ 

;jL                                                        S<        i-% 

^; ,.  ..,          -^-^^81 

ws^^-sm 

^^^^p 

^^'■j 

P^ 

■p 

^ 

A  PANELED  Cradle  of  Oak,  owned  by  the  Rhode  Island  School  of  De- 
sign. This  cradle  is  marked  by  a  low  gallery  of  turned  work  about  the  sides 
and  the  foot.  It  lacks  the  top  of  the  hood.  The  bracket-like  supports  of 
the  sides  of  the  hood  remind  one  somewhat  of  the  cradle  in  Pilgrim  Hall 
where  there  is  a  brace  something  like  a  modillion,  but  in  horizontal  position. 
It  will  be  noted  that  the  grooving  on  the  rails  and  stiles  here,  is  different 
from  that  in  the  Fuller  cradle,  on  the  second  page  back,  where  it  is  a  true 
shadow  molding,  quite  like  that  in  use  on  the  Connecticut  chests  of  oak. 
The  finials  on  the  piece  before  us,  however,  are  very  good  and  the  rockers 
are  apparently  original.  The  panels  are  of  pine  and  the  rails  are  narrower 
than  those  on  the  Fuller  cradle.  It  is  to  be  regretted  and  wondered  at  that 
not  more  of  these  oak  cradles  were  preserved.    Date:  1640-70. 

One  would  naturally  presume  that  a  piece  of  furniture  carrying  so  much 
of  tender  tradition  would  have  been  jealously  guarded  as  an  heirloom.  We 
are  confident  that  one  more  will  come  to  light. 


I317I 


ySfmtii^^ 


A  PANELED  Cradle  of  Oak  and  Walnut,  owned  by  the  author.  In  this 
example  we  come  to  the  flaring  type,  larger,  that  is,  at  the  top,  than  at  the 
bottom.  The  interesting  heart  shaped  hand  holes  on  the  head  and  foot 
boards  were  also  a  convenience.  The  piece  is  all  original  and  probably  of 
Pennsylvanian  origin,  like  that  on  the  second  page  following.  The  small 
knobs  on  each  side  of  the  cradle  were  used  to  button  the  quilt.  The  scrolled 
brackets  at  the  head  are  a  feature  to  be  noted  also.  The  panels  are  seen  to 
be  shaped  like  the  sheathed  paneling  found  on  walls  of  rooms. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  spindle  galleries  about  the  earlier  cradles  were 
designed  to  admit  vision  from  all  sides,  certainly  not  for  air. 

Below  is  a  pine  cradle,  a  quaint  early  type — ^which,  while  rare,  is  far 
oftener  seen  than  the  paneled  cradles.    Date:  1680-1720. 


[318I 


A  HANGING  cradle  of  maple.  It  is  difficult  to  fix  a  date  for  a  cradle  of 
this  type  since  very  early  examples  are  known,  while  on  the  other  hand  there 
are  dainty  late  examples  in  mahogany,  notably  at  the  Essex  Institute, 
Salem.  The  one  here  shown  is  of  somewhat  crude  though  substantial 
build,  and  certainly  has  advantages  over  the  usual  form  of  a  cradle  in  that 
it  is  more  easily  kept  in  motion.    Date:  1700-30. 

Some  very  elaborate  ancient  examples  of  this  sort  exist  in  Europe.  Per- 
haps more  than  any  other  family  piece  the  cradle  was  the  handiwork  of  the 
prospective  father,  who  lavished  upon  it  his  ingenuity  in  the  long  winter 
evenings. 

Cradles  in  this  country  are  like  beds  in  that  they  never  attain  to  the  rich 
elaboration  seen  in  England,  a  condition  to  be  expected  in  a  new  country. 
It  is  known  that  in  some  instances  nine  generations  have  been  rocked  in  the 
same  cradle.  Not  only  so,  but  many  successive  infants,  in  one  generation. 
It  is  probably  not  too  much  to  suppose  that  forty  babes  may  have  slumbered 
in  the  Fuller  cradle  we  have  pictured  on  page  315. 


(  319  ] 


# 


A  PENNSYLVANIAN  Stenciled  Cradle,  owned  by  Mr.  I.  Sack.  This 
stenciling  is  done  on  the  ends  and  sides  in  rosettes  of  parti-colors.  Other 
examples  in  considerable  numbers  are  known.  This  cradle  has  holes  pierced 
in  the  base  of  the  frame  through  which  ropes  are  drawn  in  the  manner  of  the 
corded  bed.  The  author  noticed  in  the  basement  of  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  a  wainscot  chair,  the  bottom  of  which  had  been  similarly  roped. 
It  was  an  ancient  and  popular  device  in  common  use  within  forty  years, 
but  the  origin  of  it  is  not  known,  as  it  probably  reaches  back  to  a  very 
ancient  time. 

The  cradle  before  us  is  of  pine  as  are  most  of  the  simple  cradles.  Date: 
1710-50. 

The  older  the  cradle  the  deeper  the  sides,  presumably  for  greater  protec- 
tion against  cold  gusts.  The  cradle  was  drawn  near  the  fireplace,  its  foot 
to  the  fire.    Some  examples  show  slight  charring. 

The  connection  between  rocking  chairs  and  cradles  is  suggestive  of  the 
origin  of  the  rocking  chair.  An  Englishman  of  our  acquaintance  stated 
that  his  mother  bounced  back  and  forth  as  she  fondled  him  in  a  chair  without 
rockers,  whose  posts  were  worn  in  a  rounded  form  as  a  consequence.  Rockers 
seem  to  have  obtained  popularity  '"n  America  only,  and  it  is  very  probable 
that  they  were  introduced  in  count  ion  with  the  care  of  children.  To  this 
day  such  chairs  in  England  are  spokeu  f  as  American  rockers. 

I320I 


«l 


lid 


-^ 


I. A. 


,« 


r 


A  PANELED  Cradle  of  Beech.  It  is  in  the  Branford,  Connecticut, 
Public  Library.  The  cradle  belongs  to  the  Plant  family,  from  the  Mill 
Plain  District  of  the  town.  It  has  been  traced  back  to  Jonathan  Barker, 
born  1705.  The  sides  are  not  quite  vertical,  and  the  head,  in  this  form,  is 
not  so  early  as  that  on  the  Fuller  cradle,  page  315.  The  careful  paneling 
of  the  head,  as  well  as  all  other  parts,  mark  a  distinguished  article  of  furni- 
ture. The  paneling  of  the  head  is  perhaps  not  known  in  another  American 
cradle  of  this  date,  about  1690-1710.  The  condition  is  rather  dilapidated, 
but  by  small  repairs  could  be  much  improved.  The  rockers  seem  not  to  be 
original.  In  the  turned  and  extended  corner  posts  we  have  a  reminiscence 
of  earlier  17th  Century  work. 


[321  1 


THE  Room  above  is  the  parlor  chamber  in  the  Saugus  Iron  Works  House. 
This  house,  together  with  all  the  chain  of  houses  once  in  the  possession  of 
the  writer,  has  been  dismantled  and  the  furniture  dissipated  and  the  houses 
are  no  longer  in  the  possession  of  the  author,  nor  is  iron  work  now  carried  on 
at  this  center. 

The  bed  shown  here  is  of  uncertain  date,  belonging  to  that  class  of  style- 
less  beds  such  as  were  made  throughout  the  i8th  and  pretty  well  into  the 
19th  Century.  An  amusing  and  pleasing  feature  is  the  division  of  the  head 
board  into  two  arches,  as  much  as  to  say,  "Here  slept  grandfather  and  here 
slept  grandmother.''  The  method  of  pushing  the  trundle  bed  below  the 
large  bed  is  here  shown. 

This  room  is  very  large,  having  about  four  hundred  square  feet  on  its 
floor,  a  size  very  uncommon  in  the  17th  Century. 

A  set  of  hanging  shelves  on  the  right  wall  is  dateless.  The  writer  has  seen 
such  shelves  still  in  use  and  knows  that  they  have  been  in  use  for  genera- 
tions. They  are  plain  boards  with  holes  bored  in  four  corners  and  small 
ropes  carried  through  and  knotted  to  sustain  the  shelves. 

A  piece  of  chintz  hangs  over  the  edge  of  the  table;  it  carries  a  figure  of 
Washington.  We  have  noted  a  standing  figure  of  the  Father  of  his  Country, 
driving  a  pair  of  leopards  which  come  perhaps  to  his  knee.  The  leopards 
on  wall  paper  are  also  shown,  attached  to  a  chariot,  drawing  Bacchus. 


I  .322  ] 


A  FOUR  Poster  and  a  trundle  bed,  formerly  in  the  Hazen  Garrison  House. 
There  is  no  article  of  furniture  of  the  17th  Century  in  which  we  are  so  poor 
as  in  beds.  The  massive  examples  have  altogether  disappeared,  and  the 
huge  English  beds  are  all  lost.  A  piece  of  furniture  so  bulky  would  naturally 
not  be  brought  to  America,  except  by  the  wealthy.  When  we  have  before 
us  a  simple  bed  like  the  one  above,  with  small  octagon  tapered  posts,  alike 
at  the  head  and  foot,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  name  a  date,  because  such  a  bed 
could  have  been  used  by  the  original  generation  of  Pilgrims  and  also  as  late 
as  1820.  The  earliest  beds,  however,  seem  to  lack  bed  screws,  and  were  held 
together  merely  by  the  tautness  of  the  ropes.  This  bed  has  its  original 
simple  white  canopy,  and  the  tester  is  of  one  piece  drawn  over  a  frame,  built 
on  all  sides  like  the  old-fashioned  curtain  with  rods  run  into  the  hem.  This 
canopy  was  carefully  laundered  and  laid  away  by  the  dear  lady  who  had 
used  it.  The  general  method  of  using  a  canopy  bed  is  here  plainly  seen. 
The  curtains  were  drawn  away  in  the  day  time  but  could  be  completely 
closed  in  at  night. 


I  323  ] 


ABOVE  is  a  slaw  bed,  otherwise^called  ajirgss  bed;  that  is  to  say,  it  was 
sometimes  set  into  a  shallow  cupboard  which  was  of  the  depth  of  the  portion 
that  was  intended  to  stand  permanently  on  the  floor.  The  lower  part  of 
the  bed  closed  somewhat  like  a  modern  folding  bed  on  the  joints  seen  in  the 
picture.  When  the  doors  were  closed,  the  bed  was  entirely  out  of  the  way. 
Below  Is  ajtrundle^bed  with  a  pine  j)aneled  head  board.  Such  panels  are 
rare.  Both  of  these  beds  are  owned  by  the  authorT  The  date  of  the  upper 
one  is  any  time  in  the  i8th  Century.  That  of  the  lower  one  probably  the 
latter  part  of  the  17th  Century  or  early  part  of  the  1 8th  Century. 


I324I 


I  325  1 


ON  the  preceding  page  is  the  famous  bed  in  the  old  jail  now  in  the  exhibi- 
tion rooms  of  the  Historical  Society  at  York,  Maine.  This  is  one  of  the 
dozen  pieces  in  this  book  previously  shown  in  books  of  furniture,  but  it  is 
believed  that  this  is  the  first  photograph  which  renders  the  quaint  inscrip- 
tions legible.  They  are  in  the  form  of  poems  such  as  were  worked  upon 
samplers. 

The  colorings  of  the  foliage  are  very  rich,  especially  the  greens  and  the 
reds,  and  the  counterpane  and  valance  are  a  part  of  the  rich  and  complete 
set.    Date:  1745. 

At  the  top  of  this  page  is  a  bed  belonging  to  the  author.  Its  width  is  un- 
usual, being  60  inches.     Date:  i8th  century. 


I326I 


A  BED  with  a  canopy  on  which  appears  a  repeated  figure  of  peacocks  in 
blue  with  fohage.  The  phrase,  "tent  bed"  often  used  is  perhaps  derived  from 
the  rounded  tops  of  some  canopy  beds.  Others  derive  their  name  from  the 
fact  that  the  posts  are  made  in  two  sections.  The  upper  sections  were  called 
poles,  hence  the  term  tent  bed.  No  other  photograph  of  the  above  bed, 
except  this  with  the  figures,  is  available.    Date:  late  in  the  i8th  Century. 


[327] 


ABOVE  is  a  canopied  bed  with  an  early  printed  pattern.  One  may  see 
from  this  picture  the  slender  character  of  the  eight-sided  poles  which  sup- 
port the  top.  We  cannot  too  strongly  stress  the  fact  that  no  17th  Century 
beds  and  no  early  i8th  Century  beds  have  been  found  in  America  with 
carved  posts.  They  are  always  small  as  shown.  This  bed  was  in  the  fire 
room  chamber  of  the  Iron  Works  House  at  Saugus,  which  has  now  been 
dismantled. 

The  earliest  beds  did  not  show  an  arched  top  but  were  flat,  and  the 
composition  of  the  frame  work  at  the  top  was  called  laths.  They  were 
usually  two  cross  pieces  beside  that  at  the  head  and  the  foot,  and  the  whole 
was  pinned  on  at  the  corners  by  iron  spikes. 

Why  a  bed  is  called  a  four  poster  is  a  puzzle  as  we  can  hardly  imagine  a 
bed  to  be  without  four  posts.  Possibly  the  answer  lies  in  the  same  cause 
which  gave  the  thousand-leg  table  its  name. 

Obviously  the  reason  for  the  simplicity  of  early  bed  posts  was  the  fact 
that  they  were  housed  in  by  the  draperies  so  as  to  be  useful  merely  as 
supports. 

We  do  not  know  when  mosquito  netting  came  into  use,  but  the  East 
Indian  protection  of  netting  had  not  in  the  17th  Century  become  a  customary 
thing  in  America. 


[328] 


A  HIGH  Bed  belonging  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  It  is  said  not  to  have  had 
hangings  at  the  foot.  At  this  date  the  statement  could  scarcely  be  verified, 
but  obviously  there  is  no  use  of  the  posts  without  hangings.  The  bed  is  a 
handsome  figured  maple,  which  came  into  use  early  in  the  i8th  Century, 
when  we  date  this  specimen. 


I  329] 


A  BED  of  Maple,  in  the  Geo.  F.  Ives  Collection,  Danbury,  Connecticut. 
This  bed  is  made  with  a  joint  in  the  frame  near  the  head,  for  folding  under 
the  canopy,  the  drapery  of  which  may  then  be  drawn  down  over  it.  Below 
the  head  was  a  small  cabinet  for  holding  linen.   Date:  i8th  Century. 

I330I 


ABOVE  is  an  oak  four  poster.  This  bed  is  so  far  as  the  writer  knows  the 
only  example  of  an  American  high  poster  in  oak.  He  had  the  good  fortune  to 
find  it  in  Wethersfield,  Connecticut.  The  owner  of  the  last  generation  had 
cut  off  one  of  the  posts  for  a  ball  bat!  There  is  no  manner  of  estimating 
its  age.     It  might  easily  have  been  in  use  in  the  17th  Century. 

The  Connecticut  settler  clung  as  now  to  his  traditions  and  to  the  fondness 
for  past  customs  which  has  given  his  state  the  name  of  the  land  of  steady 
habits  and  to  which  we  owe  the  preservation  of  more  than  half  of  the  finest 
pieces  of  17th  Century  American  furniture.  The  motive  for  destroying  high 
posters,  however,  was  fashion.  We  know  of  two  ambitious  young  sisters 
who  went  throughout  their  house,  a  great  New  England  mansion,  and  sawed 
off  every  high  post  bed,  and  there  were  many! 

The  stuffiness  incident  to  draperies  about  a  high  poster  can  be  overcome 
by  the  use  of  the  airy,  netted  canopy,  so  that  we  may  retain  in  modern  use 
the  stately  and  romantic  bed  of  our  forefathers. 

We  regret  not  being  able  to  show  on  the  preceding  page  the  bed  frame, 
which  is  braced  by  a  base  piece. 


[331  1 


THE  Picture  is  of  a  small  bed  with  a  handsome  fish-net  stitch  canopy, 
in  which  there  is  a  doubled  border  so  that  the  points  of  the  fringe  show  in 
two  lines.  It  was  the  early  fashion  to  place  such  netted  pieces  over  a  muslin 
ground,  to  exhibit  the  net  more  plainly.  A  bed  draped  like  the  one  above 
is  therefore  not  complete,  but  answers  the  modern  requirement  of  airiness. 

Bed  spreads  were  in  an  endless  variety  of  materials  and  patterns.  The 
patch  work  style  was  later.  Copperplate  preceded  it,  or  tufted  white  coun- 
terpanes. The  heavy  woven  and  colored  spreads  were  in  numerous  styles. 
A  fine  floral  or  tree  pattern,  in  color,  sewed  in  a  white  base,  is  a  rare  and 
beautiful  design. 

The  lower  valance  was  sometimes  separate  from  the  spread,  and  sometimes 
attached  to  it.  When  separate  it  usually  matched  the  canopy.  This  bed  is 
owned  by  the  author.    Date:  1720  or  later. 


332] 


A  COUNTERPANE  owned  by  Mrs.  Wallace  Nutting.  The  material 
is  hand  woven  linen,  and  the  decoration  is  in  heavy  cotton,  which  in  this 
case  is  not  cut.  The  size  is  eight  feet  square.  The  color  of  the  foundation 
and  of  the  wicking  is  all  white  as  always  in  this  style. 

Sometimes  the  material  is  cut  to  show  the  blossoming  of  flowers.  The 
purely  geometrical  patterns  are  not  as  desirable.  Frequently  the  design  is 
cut  out  at  the  lower  corners  for  the  bed  posts. 

The  date  of  these  pieces  is  indeterminate  as  in  many  sorts  of  fancy  work. 
which  have  survived  through  many  generations.  They  seem  to  have  been 
in  use  at  an  early  date  and  are  being  made  today,  but  the  modern  copies 
are  more  likely  to  be  found  in  cotton. 


I  333  1 


A  HIGH  Post  Bed  in  the  John  Alden  House,  Duxbury.  John  and  Priscil- 
la  died  in  a  small  down-stairs  bedroom,  where  a  later  bed  now  is,  off  the 
kitchen.  It  is  too  bad  that  a  place  built  by  the  son  of  these  typical  ancient 
worthies,  cannot  be  restored  and  kept  within  and  without  as  a  permanent 
memorial. 

The  house  at  Duxbury  is  at  last  available  to  be  seen  by  the  public,  and 
sometime  the  proper  attention  will  be  paid  to  its  restoration. 

The  construction  of  the  house  frame,  with  its  great  braced  posts  and 
beams,  is  clearly  shown,  and  no  doubt  follows  the  plan,  and  may  even  be 
the  handiwork  of  John  Alden,  who  was  the  most  skilled  in  tools  of  any  man 
of  the  original  settlers. 

I  334  1 


[335] 


?!l  " 


ON  this  and  the  next 
page  are  two  aspects  of 
an  American  oak  chair- 
table,  which  is  in  style 
unique  so  far  as  at  pres- 
ent known.  The  unique- 
ness consists  in  the  com- 
bination of  the  cross- 
stretcher,  scrolled,  with  a 
chair-table.  The  piece 
was  found  in  New  Jersey, 
a  most  extraordinary 
breaking  of  the  Connecti- 
cut oak  traditions.  The 
drawer  is  flush.  We 
therefore  date  the  piece 
about  1 690- 1 700.  The 
table  top  is  not  only 
scrolled  but  has  the  "thumb-nail"  molding.  The  feet  have  lost  the  lower 
half  of  the  balls,  but  in  the  portion  remaining  show  their  full  diameter. 
The  hight  is  28^4  inches,  and  was  probably  29 J 2  or  a  trifle  more.  The 
frame  is  1834  by  23^2  inches.  The  seat  is  now  17^4  inches  high.  The  top 
is  27  b}^  34  inches.  The  enigmatical  lettering  on  the  under  side  of  the 
top  has  no  reference  to  a  date  of  manufacture.  The  drawer  has  not  the 
grooved  runs  but  has  the  wide  dove  tails  at  both  ends,  and  is  oak.  The 
chair  is  heavy,  strong,  in  fine  condition  and  a  striking  instance  of  oak  con- 
tinued to  a  late  date,  similar  to  the  case  of  the  highboy  on  page  73 .  Owner: 
the  author. 

It  is  not  to  be  thought  strange  that  so  little  oak  is  found  out  of  New  Eng- 
land. Wherever  an  industry  becomes  established  there  it  tends  to  remain. 
Mechanics  happened  to  be  numerous  in  the  Connecticut  colonies,  who  had 
worked  in  oak  at  home  in  England.  Then  the  parts  of  Connecticut  where 
oak  is  found  are  very  old. 

The  use  of  the  chair  table  as  a  dining  table  has  even  now  much  to  com- 
mend it.  Evidently  this  table  has  been  moved  from  the  middle  to  the  side 
of  the  room  a  vast  number  of  times  to  lose  any  part  of  its  very  heavy  feet. 
The  hugeness  of  these  feet  suggest  an  earlier  style  than  the  table  would 
otherwise  call  for.  It  is  entirely  possible  the  date  has  been  placed  twenty 
years  too  late.  The  finial  is  a  restoration  but  there  existed  a  picture  with 
the  old  finial  to  serve  as  a  copy.     Every  other  part  is  original. 


[  336  1 


A  HUTCH  Table  with  a  pine 
top,  here  shown ,  is  almost  precisely 
like  a  dozen  known  to  the  author 
and  similar  to  twice  as  many 
more.  Chair  tables  are  rather 
easy  to  find  in  Eastern  New  Eng- 
land. This  specimen  has  the  usual 
notches  cut  on  the  feet.  The  date 
may  be  1700-20. 

On  the  next  page  is  a  fine  sturdy 
old  table  of  the  same  description, 
except  that  it  bears  signs  of  greater 
age,  and  has  more  attractive 
features.  The  various  quaint 
scrolls  on  the  boards  of  the  frame 
and  the  cleats  harmonize  in  an 
appealing  whole.  The  cross  mem- 
ber of  the  box,  or  frame,  is  as  usual 
dovetailed  at  its  edges.  The  table  belongs  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  The  wood 
is  pine. 

Chair  tables  are  rather  oftener  round  than  oval.  They  are  oftener  of 
sufficient  size  to  seat  six,  and  sometimes  eight  persons.  They  require  to  be 
moved,  if  advantage  is  taken  of  economy  of  room.  For  this  reason  probably 
they  went  out  of  use.  As  rooms  grew  larger  standing  tables  succeeded. 
But  they  possess  too  many  good  features  to  be  discarded.  We  use  the  term 
chair  table  to  include  hutch  tables,  because  they  resemble  one  another 
closely,  and  the  hutch  supplied  a  high-seated  chair. 

The  writer  has  never  heard  hutch  pronounced  correctly.  Chair  tables 
are  very  seldom  mentioned  in  old  inventories,  only  four  times  in  Essex 
County  records  before  1674.  A  stool-table  is  mentioned  once,  whatever 
it  may  have  been.  A  hutch-table  is  not  mentioned  at  all.  In  Mandeville 
it  occurs  spelled  hucche — as  it  is  pronounced.  It  was  synonymous  with 
chest.  Macquoid  applies  the  name  to  the  church  chest,  with  doors,  that 
is  a  cupboard,  but  never  to  a  chest,  in  his  Age  of  Oak.  It  has  now  become 
a  common  word  in  furniture  discussion,  but  the  meaning  is  still  unsettled. 
Some  apply  to  a  small  chest,  others  to  a  small  cubby  or  cupboard. 


[338 


A  HUTCH  Table  in  the  Geo.  F.  Ives  Collection.  It  has  much  merit  in 
the  scrolled  sides  of  its  trestles  and  cleats.  The  hutch  tops  of  such  tables 
could  be  used  as  high  seats  by  the  use  of  stools.    Date:  1680-1700. 

I  339) 


TABLES  in  a  fixed  form  belong  to  an  established  civilization.  A  very 
large  table  means  a  great  house.  Great  tables  were  primarily  designed  for 
dining.  They  got  their  form  in  communities  like  monasteries  or  in  the  re- 
tainers" halls  of  nobles.  The  word  table  is  pure  Latin  in  origin,  and  thus 
etymology  enforces  the  foreign  origin  of  the  table  itself.  Oriental  peoples, 
especially  those  who  sat  on  the  floor,  felt  little  need  of  tables.  Great  tables 
were  not,  so  far  as  old  examples  show,  brought  to  this  country  from  Europe. 
Materials  were  too  abundant  here.  Given  a  pit  saw  and  a  great  tree,  a 
couple  of  men  could  soon  provide  a  board  which  only  needed  supports,  of 
any  temporary  sort,  and  hence  we  have  the  trestles  and  board. 

The  permanent  table  afforded  little  room  for  carving.  In  a  very  few 
survivals  there  is  carving  on  the  frame.  Perhaps  in  no  instance  is  there  a 
carved  leg  on  a  table  of  the  period  before  1670,  of  American  design.  The 
richly  carved  bulbous  legs  of  the  i6th  Century  tables  found  no  encourage- 
ment here.  The  feeling  for  solidity  and  permanence  was  naturally  not  as 
great  in  a  new  as  in  an  old  country.  The  settler  did  not  feel  as  certain  of 
his  abode,  and  particularly,  when  he  did  build  permanently  he  could  not 
afi^ord  great  rooms. 

For  this  reason  tables  with  leaves,  and  with  folding  contrivances,  or 
movable  features  like  those  possessed  by  boards  and  trestles,  by  chair- 
tables,  and  by  gate-leg  tables,  were  very  popular.  A  large  family  in  a 
room  of  moderate  size — the  one  great  fire  room,  found  a  great  fixed  table 
most  inconvenient.  Hence  when  we  arrive  at  standing  tables  we  find  them 
not  large  as  they  are  in  England.  The  few  with  six  legs  were  mostly  for 
public  purposes,  such  as  church  communion  tables. 

Trestles  survived  in  small  gate  legs,  but  the  tops  were  not  removable. 
Also  trestles  survived  in  a  few  tavern  tables.  Illustrations  of  both  instances 
are  found  on  pages  381  and  448.  The  use  of  oak  tops  in  American  tables  is 
practically  unknown.  Pine  commended  itself  for  this  purpose  as  well  as  for 
the  finest  chest  lids.  It  is  in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  Century  that  we 
begin  to  find  maple  and  walnut  in  table  tops,  to  correspond  with  the  bases. 
Even  so  the  maple  was  generally  badly  warped,  though  walnut  kept  its 
form  better. 

No  early  table  top  is  ever  nailed  or  screwed  in  place.  Sometimes  nails 
were  inserted  later  to  fix  more  firmly  an  old  top. 


340  1 


KITCHEN  of  the  Webb  House,  otherwise  called  Hospitality  Hall  or  the 
Yorktown  House,  formerly  the  property  of  the  author,  at  Wethersfield. 
This  fine  house  of  1752  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Dames 
and  we  may  gladly  anticipate  its  continuance  as  a  permanent  public  heir- 
loom. A  feature  of  much  interest  is  the  bracing  of  the  chimney  girt  frankly 
showing  in  the  room.  This  style  has  also  been  noticed  in  a  room  of  the  Ben- 
ning  Wentworth  Mansion  at  Little  Harbor,  New  Hampshire. 

The  hutch  table  on  the  left  in  this  picture  is  interesting  from  the  scrolled 
upper  side  of  the  shoe  or  base;  a  similar  scroll  also  shows  on  the  base  of  the 
front  board. 

On  the  right  appears  another  chair  table  with  beautifully  bleached  maple 
top,  held  together  with  butterfly  dowels.  The  frame  is  oak,  a  very  rare 
feature.  The  flush  drawer  also  indicates  an  early  date.  Both  of  these  tables 
may  be  placed  around  1690. 

The  little  child's  chair  in  the  center  of  the  room  is  of  pine  and  has  a  very 
high  back;  its  quaint  efifect  is  rarely  good. 


[341 


THE  Earliest  Tables  known  in  America^wer^oards  on  trestles.  The 
two  mentioned  on  the  next  page  are  the  only  large  fine  exanrplesyet  found. 
The  one  there  shown  is  the  property  of  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.    Date:  1620-50. 

The  exciting  hunt  for  this  table,  when  the  scent  grew  warm,  sheds  a  hu- 
morous light  on,the  collector's  experience.  The  author  directed  the  hunt  by 
telephone  a  thousand  miles  from  the  field.  This  example  is  peculiar  from 
its  two  spindles,  resting  on  the  heavy  stretcher,  to  give  the  top  stability. 

The  rarity  of  the  board  and  trestle  is  such  that  only  within  a  decade  has 
attention  been  given  to  it,  and  searchers  have  probably  passed  by  such 
mediaeval  styles  merely  because  they  did  not  know  what  they  had  found. 
The  one  pictured  was  sold  at  auction  for  a  nominal  sum.  Indeed  when  the 
author  wired  to  pay  what  was  necessary  to  obtain  the  rarity  his  agent 
wrote  back  that  he  could  make  a  better  one  for  three  dollars!  And  the 
original  buyer  at  auction  valued  the  piece  merely  as  a  Washington  relic. 

No  other  article  of  furniture  speaks  so  strongly  of  the  ancient  time.  The 
Last  Supper  of  Leonardo  shows  a  board  and  trestles. 

The  construction  of  the  trestle  is  simply  a  double  headed  T. 

In  Scott's  novels  more  than  one  reference  is  made  to  these  progenitors 
of  the  modern  table.  The  third  chapter  of  Ivanhoe  opens  with  a  description 
of  them,  and  of  their  arrangement. 

Boards  with  frames  or  trestles  have  recently  been  brought  from  England. 

The  Shaker  colonies  made  such  tables  within  a  century.  One  such 
sixteen  feet  long,  with  three  trestles,  was  recently  in  thehandsof  Mr.  I.  Sack. 

A  somewhat  inferior  board  with  trestles  was  not  long  since  discovered 
and  a  well  grounded  rumor  has  reached  the  author  that  another  example, 
a  counterpart  of  the  one  shown  on  the  next  page,  has  recently  been  found 
and  sold  to  someone  in  Cleveland.  As  this  style  comes  to  the  knowledge 
of  collectors  we  may  hope  that  other  specimens  will  come  to  light. 

Boards  were  easily  available  in  America  for  single-piece  tops  of  tables. 
The  author  has  recently  seen  in  New  England  old  forest  pines  which  might 
have  furnished  single  board  tops  five  inches  wider  than  that  here  shown. 
A  piece  of  pine  48  inches  wide  is  in  one  of  our  New  England  panels.  But 
apparently  no  effort  was  made  to  find  for  tables  the  widest  board  possible. 
The  trenchers  used  on  such  boards,  in  a  simple  home,  were  of  wood,  as  also 
the  great  bowls.  Each  man  had  his  own  private  clasp  knife.  Spoons  were 
wooden,  and  forks  were  probably  not  used. 

The  trestles  and  board  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  were  fo'nd  by 
Mr.  Eugene  Bolles  in  Essex,  Massachusetts,  in  an  attic. 


I  342 


MORE  than  half  the  world  eats  without  tables.  Even  the  early  English, 
from  whom  most  of  our  furniture  styles  were  derived,  brought  in  a  temporary 
table  for  dining,  such  as  that  here  shown.  It  was  called  a  trestle  board  and 
frame,  a  table  board,  a  long  table,  a  table  and  frame,  etc.  A  good  many 
are  mentioned  in  the  old  probate  inventories,  though  such  pieces  were  already 
falling  out  of  fashion  when  America — or  our  part  of  it — was  settled.  Yet 
some  families  had  two  such  tables,  and  in  a  great  household,  one  for  the 
family  was  placed  on  a  dais,  while  two  or  more,  on  a  lower  level,  at  right 
angles  to  the  first,  accommodated  the  servants.  Mr.  Bolles  found  the 
one  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  while  the  author  stumbled  upon  the  one 
which  heads  this  chapter.  It  was  preserved  in  the  attic  of  the  Richardson 
tavern  at  Medway,  because  Washington  had  sat  at  it.  One  more  debt  to 
Washington!  Its  base  is  maple  or  beech.  The  long  truss  rod  was,  in  use, 
lightly  fixed  by  large  wooden  pins.  The  top  was  unattached.  The  length 
is  more  than  ten  feet,  but  probably  a  little  has  been  cut  off  at  one  end. 
The  top  is  an  inch  board  of  pine  25  inches  wide. 

Owner  :    Mr.   B.  A.   Behrend. 


I  343 


A  Pair  of  Trestles,  and  a  board  about  six  feet  in  length  owned  by  Mr.  Harry 
Long,  The  ingenious  stiffening  brace  is  located  at  a  point  where  it  is  wholly 
out  of  the  way,  and  effective,  it  being  let  down  into  a  slot  in  the  trestles. 
The  two  stools  are  half  moons  in  shape.  The  writer  does  not  know  their 
origin.    Date:  1670- 1700. 

Below  is  an  X-trestle  table,  belonging  to  Mr.  W  illoughby  Farr,  of  Edge- 
water,  New  Jersey.  A  considerable  number  like  this  but  with  plain  X- 
trestles  have  been  found.  Date:  1690-1730.  It  is  braced  at  the  center  with 
a  four-sided  strut.  The  manner  of  pinning  the  truss  or  stretcher  rod  is 
plainly  seen. 


I  344 


SINCE  the  trestles  and  their  board  must  be  moved  daily,  the  invention 
of  the  drawing  table  was  induced.  No  complete  American  specimen  is  now 
known.  That  in  the  rooms  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  at  Hart- 
fbrd,  which  is  very  massive,  its  legs  being  nearly  five  inches  in  diameter, 
is  the  best  of  its  kind,  but  it  has  lost  its  draw  boards.  It  has  already  been 
illustrated. 

The  natural  successor  of  the  drawing  table,  whose  leaves  pushed  under  the 
main  board,  at  the  ends,  was  a  table  with  hinged  leaves.  That  shown  above, 
at  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum,  Hartford,  belongs  to  Mr.  George  Dudley 
Seymour,  and  is  the  only  one  now  known  in  this  style.  It  is  most  valuable  as 
a  connecting  link  between  the  drawing  table  and  the  gate  leg.  The  obvious 
thing,  for  us,  would  be  to  add  leaves  at  the  side.  With  only  a  trestle  or  a 
drawing  table  before  us  we  should  place  the  leaves  as  here.    Date:  1690-1710. 


[345  ] 


AFTER  the  trestles  naturally  come  the  standing  tables.  Whether  any 
of  those  having  an  extreme  length  were  ever  used  in  dwellings  may  be  ques- 
tioned. Most  of  the  great  standing  tables  now  known  of  American  origin 
were  like  the  example  above,  communion  tables.  The  frame  is  too  high 
for  domestic  use,  it  having  been  about  34  inches.  No  large  table  above  31 
inches  high,  except  a  side  table,  can  escape  the  challenge  that  it  may  have 
been  a  communion  table.  The  top  here  is  composed  of  two  pine  planks. 
The  posts  we  believe  are  maple  or  birch.  It  was  owned  by  Mr.  I.  Sack. 
It  is  large,  but  the  dimensions  are  not  available.  The  great  size  of  the  posts 
and  its  marks  of  age,  date  it  about  1660-1690. 

About  the  only  use  for  such  tables  now,  outside  museums,  is  in  libraries. 
They  serve  admirably  in  large  rooms  to  spread  many  books,  but  are  not 
available,  owing  to  hight,  for  reading. 

A  table  six  feet  long  with  carving  on  the  front  side  of  the  frame,  and  other- 
wise very  like  the  table  above  was  recently  found  near  Exeter,  and  is  shown 
elsewhere.  The  plea  that  the  very  high  tables  might  have  been  for  do- 
mestic use,  with  high  chairs,  is  hardly  allowable.  If  the  fashion  was  for 
high  tables  in  the  earliest  period,  why  are  not  the  trestles  high?  Refectory 
tables  are  not  known  by  that  name  in  the  old  inventories.  "Long,  standing, 
joined,"  were  the  terms  used.  The  name  refectory  refers  to  the  frequent 
use  of  such  tables  in  college  commons.  It  is  a  stilted  word.  Long  would 
be  a  better  name,  though  there  are  scarcely  enough  of  American  origin  to 
require  a  name. 


[346I 


AN  American  Oak  Refectory  Table.  Length,  originally  about  92  inches; 
now  about  86  inches,  owing  to  the  loss  of  the  end  cleats,  the  dowel  holes  of 
which  are.  to  be  seen.  Width  30  inches,  all  of  one  pine  plank,  originally, 
which  has  now  split  into  three  parts.  Frame,  about  26  by  72  inches.  Hight, 
about  34  inches.  This  remarkably  preserved  and  no  less  remarkably  turned 
communion  table,  at  one  time  was  discarded  and  the  top  seems  to  have  been 
used  in  chopping  meat.  It  was  finally  restored  to  the  church  from  which 
it  came.  The  parish  organization  was  formed  in  1638,  and  the  church 
edifice  shortly  after  erected.  This  original  communion  table  therefore,  with- 
out reasonable  doubt,  dates  as  early  as  1638-40.  The  author  does  not  know 
of  another  American  oak  table  at  once  so  old  and  so  meritorious.  The  turn- 
ings are  seen  to  be  the  same  as  those  on  the  Robinson  chair,  page  177. 
The  size  of  the  posts  is  about  3^2  inches.  Thepinetop  is  about  i.^sinches. 
Owing  to  fear  of  endless  solicitations,  the  precise  location  in  Massachusetts 
is  withheld. 


347 


A  ROOM  with  furniture  of  the  17th  Century  and  with  a  wall  in  old  natural 
pine  should  have  a  charm  for  any  one,  but  especially  for  the  lover  of  har- 
mony. There  was  much  variety  in  the  furniture  of  the  same  period,  be- 
cause the  artificer  was  not  shut  around  with  many  artificial  limitations. 
He  loved  and  wrought  according  to  his  loves.  He  saw  a  light  and  followed 
without  hearing  a  voice  commanding  him  to  finish,  in  so  many  hours,  a 
certain  piece  of  work.  Yet  like  the  best  artisans  he  worked  rapidly,  because 
he  was  eager  to  see  the  embodiment  of  his  ideas.  When  he  finished  he  had 
dispensed  with  a  part  of  himself,  yet  he  was  richer  in  conceptions  than 
before.  No  man  can  make  a  good  thing,  without  at  once  becoming  able  to 
make  a  better  thing. 

As  to  the  wall  decorations  of  17th  Century  homes,  old  charts  or  early 
ship  models  are  good,  and  oil  portraits  would  be  better.  But  such  portraits 
are  altogether  too  rare  even  to  be  thought  of  hopefully.  No  doubt  few 
are  retained  as  family  heirlooms.  What  the  collector  finds  is  of  the  early 
i8th  Century  at  best.  Of  course  the  old  masters  are  still  available  but 
can  scarcely  enter  into  our  view  here. 

Exterior  slat  shutters  admitting  light  but  shutting  out  vision  came  into 
use  somewhat  at  the  close  of  the  i8th  Century.  In  our  period  there  were 
possible  a  few  inside  shutters,  but  we  doubt  if  the  fact  is  established. 


I348I 


m^' 


AN  Oak  Refectory  Table  with  light  turnings.  Owner:  the  author.  The 
top  is  295^  by  67^4  inches.  The  hight  is  255^  inches.  The  frame  is  20>^ 
by  47  inches.  This  is  a  lighter  and  later  type  than  that  shown  on  page  347, 
and  was  of  course  made  for  domestic  purposes.  It  is  obvious  that  such  a 
table  was  much  more  easily  moved  about  than  the  heavy  sort  which  we 
associate  with  the  word  refectory.  At  the  same  time  the  wide  everhang 
all  around  this  table  made  it  convenient  to  sit  at.  Frames  of  oak  usually 
point  to  an  earlier  date  than  maple  frames.  Date:  1690-1710.  Origin: 
Connecticut. 

The  so-called  "gate-leg  turnings"  were  rather  more  elaborate  than  those 
on  tavern  or  refectory  tables.  In  the  table  above  one  sees  the  beginning  of 
the  gate-leg  style  of  turning,  but  with  the  plain  stretchers  which  gate-leg 
tables  of  handsome  types  discarded  in  favor  of  turned  stretchers.  The  plain 
stretcher  was  stronger  than  the  turned  stretcher,  an  important  matter  if  the 
stretcher  is  long. 

The  large  early  English  table  can  usually  be  distinguished  from  the 
American  table  of  like  date  by  its  heavier  construction.  This  is  true,  not 
only  of  the  frame,  but  of  the  top.  In  the  instance  before  us  and  in  a 
fine  American  trestle-board  the  top  is  thin.  English  tables  have  been 
found  with  pine  tops. 


349  1 


^^■^ 


mmt. 


A  REMARKABLE  Table  owned  by  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 
It  is  seven  feet  and  a  half  long  and  thirty  inches  high.  The  wood  is  cherry 
except  the  upper  frame  rail  in  the  back,  which  is  pine,  with  a  molded  edge. 
The  legs  are  3^2  inches  square,  also  the  front  stretcher.  The  back  stretcher 
is  21^2  by  2H  inches. 

There  has  never  been  a  leaf  behind.  The  feature  of  peculiar  interest  is 
the  great  wear  shown  on  the  back  and  stretchers  and  the  freedom  from 
wear  in  front.  This  is  proof  positive,  since  the  parts  are  all  original,  that 
the  table  was  used  at  the  fcack  and  ends  only.  Now  the  back  is  the  place 
where  no  wear  would  occur  had  this  been  a  side  table.  We  must  believe 
the  table  was  used  in  a  public  room,  like  a  court  room,  or  an  official's  office. 
The  nature  of  the  wear,  besides  the  hight  of  the  table  preclude  the  sup- 
position that  it  was  used  as  a  communion  table.  There  is  no  wear  on  the 
rule  joint  of  the  leaf,  showing  the  table  was  used  standing  regularly  with 
the  leaf  raised.  There  is  a  fine  molding  on  the  stretchers,  and  the  stretchers 
of  the  gates  are  molded  on  all  four  corners.  The  front  stretcher  is  cham- 
fered as  clearly  seen.  The  feet  show  much  wear,  and  one  is  somewhat  dis- 
integrated. 

The  joint  in  the  front  rail  is  cut  on  a  radius  to  permit  turning  the  leg. 
The  table  is  carefully  made.  It  has  in  chalk  on  the  back  rail:  "Chas.  Hosmer, 
Hartford,  Conn."  This  gentleman  has  been  called  the  father  of  the  historical 
society  there.  The  legend  is  probably  a  shipping  direction.  We  are  no 
doubt  indebted  to  him  for  this  splendid  specimen.  His  date  was  1785-1871. 
The  table  date  may  be  1730-40. 

I350I 


■■■W'ii-  .h'^*--^:,^"  ,;^^-i£<  *  It'-'^^M-'i.: 


A  MEDIAL-STRETCHER  Table.  Owner:  William  G.  Erving.  M.  D., 
of  Washington.  The  top  and  rails  are  pine,  the  legs  maple;  the  stretcher  ash. 
The  frame  is  24^2  by  543^  inches.  The  hight  is  27^^  inches.  The  top  is 
32^  by  64  inches.  The  brackets  on  the  frame,  next  the  legs,  add  strength 
as  well  as  ornament;  the  central  scroll  being  merely  ornament.  Brackets 
indicate  a  date,  we  should  say,  inside  the  17th  Century.  They  are  impor- 
tant.   Date:  1690-17 10. 

Below  is  a  remarkable  American  Oak  Table  with  carving  on  one  side 
of  the  frame.  It  was  found  in  Southern  New  Hampshire.  The  author 
can  vouch  for  its  authenticity.  Its  length  is  about  seven  feet.  Picture 
furnished  by  Wanamaker,  New  York. 


Issil 


A  ROOM  of  all  cross-stretcher  American  pieces,  a  liighboy,  lowboy, 
chair  table,  desk,  and  two  stools. 

Around  the  Hearth 

Since  men  have  learned  how  to  make  a  fire,  the  hearth,  for  every  genera- 
tion, until  our  own,  has  centered  around  the  hearth.  Here  was  the  altar. 
Here,  sitting  behind  the  elders,  ardent  youths  held  hands  in  the  silent 
wooing  of  the  shadows.  Here  they  were  married.  Here  babes  were  born. 
Here  the  cradle  stood,  while  the  mother  watched  it  at  her  labors.  Here 
she  presided,  the  mother  of  statesmen,  poets  and  inventors.  Here  her 
sweet  wisdom  ruled,  and  her  wheel  and  loom  clothed  the  household.  Here 
the  aged  sat,  in  the  chimney  corner.  Here  they  passed  at  length  into  the 
unseen  world. 

From  the  hearth  our  fathers  got  warmth,  light,  food.  Fire  was  the 
first  object  they  recognized,  after  their  mothers.  It  taught  them  their 
first  lesson  in  self-restraint.  Every  day  till  senility  claimed  them  they 
gazed  into  the  blaze.     Fire  was  the  precious,  first  focus  of  civilization. 

In  the  evenings  the  romantic  sense  was  called  out  by  the  fire.  The 
sagas  of  the  ages  were  born  and  sung  there.  There  leaped  the  ghosts; 
there  loomed  the  giants;  there  played  the  fairies.  Is  it  a  wonder  that  all 
men  love,  with  undying,  intuitional  affection,  the  hearth.'' 


1  352  1 


A  BRACKET  Refectory  Table,  with  Drops.  Owner:  Mrs.  John  Mar- 
shall Holcombe.  This  remarkbly  fine  example  was  used  in  the  Grant  family, 
of  East  Windsor  Hill,  Connecticut,  as  a  dining  table,  before  1700.  Date: 
16501670.  It  was  possibly  the  property  of  the  settler,  Mathew  Grant,  who 
was  a  surveyor,  and  whose  tripod  was  among  the  family  treasures 

The  style  of  the  turning  is  close  to  the  earliest  American  work.  The 
shadow  mold  on  the  frame  is  the  same  as  that  appearing  on  American  oak 
chests.  The  brackets  are  boldly  scrolled,  and  the  drops  add  the  last  touch 
of  style  to  complete  the  heavy  turned  table  cf  this  date. 

The  frame  is  oak.  Size  of  top,  32^4  by  70  inches;  frame,  26  by  58^^ 
inches;  hight,  31  inches. 

It  was  a  surprise  to  the  author,  on  tallying  his  information  on  refectory 
tables  to  find  them  so  few.  A  beautiful  specimen  is  owned  by  Mr.  H.  W. 
Erving.  One  with  carved  frame  was  in  the  hands  of  the  writer.  The 
specimens  here  shown  nearly  complete  the  list  of  the  other  fine  examples 
available. 


[  3.S3  1 


AT  the  bottom  of  the  page  is  a  large  kitchen  table  belonging  to  Mrs. 
F.  Gordon  Patterson  of  Boston.  It  has  turnings  identical  with  a  small 
table  known  to  be  very  early,  and  its  brackets  to  stiffen  the  frame  are  a 
feature  of  merit.  The  slide  is  missing.  The  end  leaf  may  mark  a  very 
early  survival,  suggesting  the  leaves  of  the  table  on  page  345.  Some  other 
features  would  point  to  a  later  date.  We  therefore  endeavor  to  be  safe 
by  placing  it  between  1690  and  1730.  As  we  recollect  it,  the  top  is  pine  and 
the  frame  a  close  grained  hard  wood,  very  light  in  color. 

We  could  scarcely  expect  to  find  in  kitchen  tables  subjects  of  importance. 
But  the  facts  prove  otherwise.  The  great  rooms  in  a  house  of  the  Pilgrim 
Century,  were  the  parlor  (dining  room)  and  the  hall  (kitchen).  The  term 
hall  for  the  room  of  entrance  came  later.  In  the  Pilgrim  time  it  was  the 
porch  or  the  entry,  often  very  meager  in  proportions.  The  hall  could  be 
used  as  a  dining  room,  though  in  homes  of  any  pretention  the  parlor  was 
used  for  that  purpose.  It  was  not  till  later  that  the  parlor  was  shut  up  and 
set  off  as  sacred  to  great  occasions  only. 

The  hight  of  tables  is  one  indication  of  their  use  and  age.  As  pointed 
out  elsewhere  a  table  much  exceeding  30  inches  high  is  likely  to  be,  if 
large,  a  church  communion  table  ;  or  if  small,  a  side  table.  But  such 
small  tables  are  scarcely  found.  If  below  29  inches  in  hight,  without  the 
loss  of  any  part  of  the  feet,  tables  are  for  occasional  use.  Any  large  table 
of  only  27  inches  in  hight,  or  even  28  inches,  should  be  examined  with 
care,  for  in  all  probability  something  is  wrong.  Feet  are  often  so  turned 
that  the  loss  of  one  ball  is  overlooked  by  any  one  not  expert. 


[354I 


A  KNEADING-TROUGH  Table  with  a  drawer  and  cross  stretchers; 
in  the  Metropolitan  Museum.  The  drawer,  the  front  of  which  is  built  on  a 
slant,  carries  quaint  carving.  The  cover  removes,  opening  a  hutch,  which 
was  most  likely  designed  as  a  bread  mixing  trough.  The  huge  wedges  which 
hold  in  place  the  middle  truss  carry  out  the  sturdy  effect  of  the  piece.  The 
cross  stretchers  are  slightly  scrolled  as  are  also  the  straddling  legs;  the  ma- 
terial is  pine. 

One  cannot  resist  the  conclusion  that  a  piece  of  this  sort  was  a  gift  con- 
structed by  a  young  husband  for  his  bride.  The  honest  and  not  unsuccess- 
ful attempts  at  decoration  are  indicative  of  affection  in  the  fingers  of  the 
artificer.  Such  pieces  carrying  decoration  where  it  is  not  really  required 
are  always  lovable  because  they  mark  a  generous  nature  and  speak  of  a 
kindly  humanity.    Date:  1670-1700. 


[355  ] 


A  KITCHEN  Table  in  Pine.  The  great  thickness  of  the  trestles  and  the 
still  greater  spread  of  their  bases  or  shoes  are  points  of  attraction.  The 
method  of  tenon  and  mortise  is  certainly  crude  enough,  and  possibly  afforded 
the  suggestion  of  the  mission  furniture.  In  reality  it  is  only  a  make-shift 
arrangement  to  supply  the  lack  of  good  joinery.  This  table  had  a  slide,  the 
groove  for  which  may  be  seen  immediately  under  the  frame.  The  object  of 
such  slides,  which  were  not  uncommon,  was  partly  the  extension  of  the 
area  of  the  table  and  partly  an  accommodation  to  a  worker  sitting  by  the 
table.  The  lower  level  afforded  a  convenience;  as  for  instance,  when  the 
children  shelled  the  peas.  The  great  middle  truss  or  stretcher  also  served 
as  a  shelf.  While  an  English  origin  is  claimed  for  this  table,  it  has  more  the 
style  of  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch.    Date:  1670-1720. 


I356I 


^'Hi — 


THIS  curious  table  is  owned  by  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  but  is  not 
yet  on  exhibition.  It  contains  a  box  or  hutch  below  the  top,  which  latter  is 
made  to  slide,  the  cleats  being  in  the  grooved  form.  The  panels  are  en- 
croached on  at  the  bottom  by  the  base  mold  of  the  frame.  It  would  have 
been  far  better  style  to  raise  the  panels  so  as  to  give  the  same  width  of  rail 
above  and  below.  This  is  a  puzzling  but  an  original  feature.  Of  course  a 
good  deal  is  missing  from  the  legs.  The  massive  character  of  the  piece 
renders  it  very  attractive  indeed  to  the  real  lover  of  17th  Century  furniture. 
The  top  is  made  with  mitered  end  cleats,  which  form  a  part  of  the  top,  in 
addition  to  the  grooved  runner  cleats  below.  The  construction  has  more 
than  one  foreign  suggestion,  but  the  table  is  called  American  by  an  excellent 
judge  of  such  matters.  The  only  manner  of  gaining  access  to  the  hutch  is 
of  course  by  sliding  the  top.     Date:  The  earlier  part  of  the  17th  Century. 

No  true  refectory  table  has  a  leaf.  They  were  used  before  the  time 
of  leaves,  and  a  leaf,  can  only  be  sustained  by  a  slide.  We  count  tables 
with  such  slides  as  always  later  than  the  refectory  period.  If  in  the  17th 
Century  and  earlier  a  larger  table  was  wanted  it  was  added  by  placing 
tables  end  to  end.  The  idea  of  a  table  as  a  board  was  deeply  fixed,  and 
but  slowly  eradicated.  Once  the  leaf  table  came  in  it  speedily  put  all 
refectory  tables  and  trestle-boards  out  of  fashion.  Their  use  has  never 
been  revived.  Hence  their  extreme  rarity.  There  is  a  report  that  a  six- 
leg  American  refectory  table  exists,  but  one  never  gets  to  see  it,  and 
meantime  we  claim  the  right  to  be  doubtful. 


[357] 


A  LARGE  Walnut  Library  Table.  It  is  owned  by  the  author.  Date: 
1700.  The  top  is  31  by  66  inches.  The  frame  is  25  by  53  inches.  The 
hight  is  293 :(  inches.  There  is  a  little  central  drawer,  as  appears,  between 
two  large  drawers. 

It  is  now  common  parlance  to  name  tables  of  this  type  library  tables, 
but  no  one  knows  for  what  use  they  were  designed.  The  side  overhang, 
about  three  inches,  is  too  little  to  admit  of  sitting  at  the  side  either  for 
eating  or  writing.  The  author  uses  this  table  for  writing  but  is  obliged  to 
sit  almost  facing  the  end.  The  tops  all  being  made  removable,  by  four 
hand  dowels,  we  arrive  at  an  early  date,  as  the  effort  was  to  procure  a  large 
table  that  could  be  carried  about  in  sections,  like  the  trestles  and  their 
boards.  These  tables  therefore  are  a  standing  puzzle  to  all  antiquarians. 
Whatever  use  suggested  raises  a  very  valid  objection.  And  yet  the  tables 
were  somewhat  numerous.     Pennsylvania  is  their  usual  "habitat." 

They  differ  from  the  usual  large  "standing"  table  by  having  drawers, 
and  by  the  method  of  attaching  the  top.  They  are  also  from  thirty  to 
forty  years  later  in  date,  and  are  in  walnut  rather  than  maple  or  oak. 
They  also  average  a  smaller  size.  On  the  other  hand  they  are  distinguished 
from  the  tavern  tables  by  being  larger  and  having  movable  tops. 


[358] 


A  "LIBRARY"  Table,  with  Scalloped  Skirt.  These  tables  are  rather 
rare  with  such  skirts,  but,  with  plain  skirts,  they  are  brought  out  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  large  numbers,  twelve  at  a  time  being  the  spoils  of  one  tour, 
noted  at  a  dealer's. 

As  on  the  preceding  page,  the  material  is  all  walnut.  The  top  is 
removable,  and  measures  32^  by  48)^  inches,  by  28^  inches  in  height. 
The  frame  is  2824  by  36^  inches.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  drawers  in 
these  tables  are  seldom  paired,  but  one  is  longer  than  the  other.  If  we 
named  this  a  serving  table,  ignoring  the  higher  sideboard  table,  we  should 
possibly  be  making  a  guess  as  good  as  any,  since  a  grounded  opinion  seems 
impossible.  We  should  not  hesitate  at  all  in  this  decision,  were  not  these 
tables  found,  occasionally,  in  such  large  sizes.  Date:  1700-1720.  Owner: 
the  author. 

It  is  humiliating  that  we  human  beings,  with  every  facility  for  making 
records,  should  so  often  leave  our  successors  in  the  dark  concerning  our  works 
and  ways.  The  pictorial  art,  using  photography,  will  save  the  coming  gen- 
eration much  trouble. 


l3S9l 


A  LARGE  Walnut  Table,  with  scalloped  skirt.  It  was  once  in  the 
possession  of  the  author;  the  present  owner  being  unknown. 

The  turnings  are  much  bolder  than  usual.  The  stretchers  show  much 
use — a  mystery,  as  one  cannot  place  a  foot  on  a  stretcher  anywhere  with- 
out hitting  the  knee  on  the  frame!     And  on  the  sharp  scallops,  at  that. 

This  table  has  a  little  drawer  in  one  end.  It  is  about  five  feet  long. 
Date:  1700-10. 

With  this  table  we  pass  out  of  the  class  confined  practically  to  the 
17th  Century.  The  gate-leg  table  was  so  much  loved  that  it  could  not  die, 
and  though  it  began  many  years  before  the  17th  Century  went  out  it  con- 
tinued, a  solitary  example  of  style,  long  after  its  period.  Among  the  many 
revivals  of  early  furniture  the  "library"  table  and  all  17th  Century  types 
except  the  gate-leg,  are  allowed  to  sleep,  despite  the  occasional  refectory 
type. 


I  360] 


A  PENNSYLVANIA  "Library"  Table.  The  frame  is  in  maple;  the 
drawer  fronts  as  well  as  interiors  and  the  top  are  in  pine.  Its  sturdy  type, 
its  two  drawers  with  the  large  knobs  typical  of  the  origin,  and  the  plain 
end  and  medial  stretchers,  afford  a  piece  of  interesting  character,  wholly 
original  and  in  natural  color.  The  top  is  34  by  68^  inches — a  generous 
size.  The  overhang  at  the  ends  is  \2,/-2  inches!  At  the  sides  it  is  4  inches. 
Had  the  possessors  desired  to  use  this  as  a  refectory  table  they  might  easily 
have  done  so.  It  will  amply  seat  eight  persons.  Owner:  the  author.  Date: 
1700-10. 

The  overhang  of  this  table  is  so  great  that  unless  it  were  pinned  down, 
disasters  might  occur.  Hence,  we  suppose,  the  pins.  Of  course  the  entire 
table  is  a  solid  weight. 

In  the  restoration  of  Greek  temples  the  practice  is  to  place  a  wholly  new, 
and  apparently  new,  pillar  in  place  of  a  missing  one.  Such  work  can  be  seen 
on  the  Erectheum  at  Athens.  How  meretricious  it  would  have  been  to  scar 
and  mar  a  new  column  to  make  it  resemble  the  old! 

We  expect  such  bad  work  to  be  done  on  furniture  by  unscrupulous  per- 
sons trying  to  pass  it  off  as  all  original  and  sound.  But  collectors  should 
be  wiser. 


[361] 


SELECTIONS  from  the  furnishings  of  the  Hale  Mansion,  South  Coven- 
try, Connecticut.  It  was  built_i776_by  Deacon  Richard_Hal£,__£ather  of 
Captain-Nathan  Hale,  the  "Martyr  Spy"  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  who 
was  born  in  an  earlier  house  which  was  demolished  soon  after  the  present 
house  was  erected  and  which  stood  but  a  few  rods  from  it. 

The  maple  gate-leg  table  is  one  of  the  most  delicately  beautiful  specimens. 
Size:  top,  41  by  52J4  inches;  hight,  28  inches.    Date:  1700-30. 

The  table  on  the  right  is  a  very  rare  specimen,  called  in  Connecticut  a 
Windsor  table,  from  the  town,  not  from  the  Windsor  chair .  It  is  of  hickory, 
oak  and  maple.  It  was  found  in  Hartford.  Size:  28I4  by  21  1-8  inches; 
hight,  24  inches.  Date,  about  1700.  The  owner  is  Mr.  George  Dudley 
Seymour. 

The  room  is  beautifully  paneled  on  the  fire-place  side.  Much  honor  is 
due  the  owner  for  salvaging  this  fine  old  house. 


[362I 


A  FOUR-GATE  Table  of  Walnut.  Owner:  Mrs.  Lewis  Sheldon  Welch, 
of  New  Haven.     Date:  1690-1730. 

The  very  existence  of  tables  with  four  gates  has  not  come  to  the  atten- 
tion of  many  collectors,  except  as  they  see  illustrations  of  such  tables, 
because  so  few  exist.  The  writer  knows  of  six,  has  heard  a  rumor  of  two 
more,  and  presumes  that  a  dozen  may  soon  be  known.  This  work  shows 
three;  there  is  a  fourth  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  a  fifth  at  the  Albany 
Historical  Society,  a  sixth  in  Hartford.  Two  of  these  have  often  been 
illustrated.  These  we  show  have  hitherto  appeared  in  no  publication. 
The  origin  of  the  table  here  shown  is  presumably  Connecticut. 

Of  course  the  drawer  handle  is  not  original.  The  existence  of  a  good 
number  of  Virginia  or  English  walnut  tables  in  New  England  raises  the 
question  whether  such  tables  were  native  here.  From  their  style  we  con- 
clude they  were  native  and  that  they  were  m'ade,  as  hinted  elsewhere, 
from  walnut  brought  in  from  the  South,  or  sporadic  trees  here.  They 
were  in  every  known  instance  found  near  or  on  the  tide-water. 


I363I 


A  FOUR-GATE  Table  of  Walnut,  originally  brought  by  the  writer 
from  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Chauncey  C. 
Nash.  It  is  somewhat  small  and  low,  for  a  four-gate  table,  and  the  turn- 
ings are  in  the  fashion  more  often  found  in  the  South. 

In  giving  these  tables  the  name  four-gate,  the  author  feels  the  in- 
accuracy and  possible  confusion  that  would  arise  by  a  term  often  heard — 
double-gate.  Those  who  use  that  term  are  thinking  of  one  side  of  the  table. 
But  as  a  single-gate  table  means  just  what  it  purports  to  mean,  a  double- 
gate  and  a  four-gate  should  mean  what  the  words  naturally  signify.  Date: 
I 690-1 730. 

Of  course  the  purpose  of  four  gates  was  to  hold  large  leaves  with  stabil- 
ity. Four  gates  also  add  very  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  table,  giving  a 
little  forest  of  legs,  and  when  the  table  is  open  the  symmetry  is  not  destroyed. 
The  top  of  the  table  above  is  mostly  original.  The  plain  stretcher  we 
surmise  is  more  often  found  in  the  South.  The  gate-leg  table  is  now  very 
rare  there,  as  is  all  furniture  of  its  date.  This  is  partly  owing  to  the  war 
of  1861,  and  partly  to  the  giving  over  to  slaves  the  ancient  furniture, 
which  they  did  not  preserve. 


I  364] 


A  WALNUT  Four-Gate  Table.  Owner:  The  author.  This  table  was 
found  near  York,  Maine,  in  1921 .  The  top  was  about  66  inches  in  diameter, 
and  very  nearly  round.  Restorations  are  required  in  the  top.  There  are 
two  draws.  The  frame  is  very  solid,  and  has  nearly  all  the  original  feet,  so 
that  the  effect,  whether  open  or  closed  is  very  beautiful.  The  frame  dimen- 
sions are  20  by  51  inches.     The  height  is  29  inches.     Date:  1690-1730. 

The  great  gate-leg  in  Albany  is  six  by  six  and  a  half  feet,  and  the  gates 
swing  from  the  center,  that  being  the  only  one  known  in  this  country  with 
the  center  swing.     It  is  without  question  the  finest  example  now  known. 

The  effect  of  one  of  these  four-gate  tables,  when  opened,  in  the  center 
of  a  room,  is  startling  in  its  impression  of  beauty  and  dignity.  The  revival 
of  interest  in  the  gate-leg  table  is  well  merited.  Beautiful  and  useful  in  all 
forms,  in  its  four-gate  form  it  is  supreme. 

The  Albany  gate-leg  has  at  present  no  drawer  but  there  are  indications 
that  it  once  had  one  or  two.  It  is  peculiar  in  having  a  small  half  round 
attached  to  the  edge  of  the  center  part,  next  the  leaves,  to  guide  the  rule 
joint. 


I36SI 


THE  TABLE  above  really  belongs  in  the  class  of  stool  tables.  It 
is  maple;  21  inches  high.  The  legs  spread  in  all  directions.  The  frame, 
at  stretchers,  is  13^2  by  i6_J^  inches. 

The  table  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  is  a  solid  plain  frame  specimen, 
belonging  to  the  author.     Date:  1680-1700. 


I366I 


TWO  Gate-leg  Tables  belonging  to  the  Metropolitan  Museum.  They 
are  quite  similar  in  their  turnings,  varying  in  the  size  of  the  legs  and  frames. 

These  tables  are  of  the  type  commonly  known  and  in  good  style,  having 
the  stretchers  turned. 

It  is  a  good  point  in  construction  that  the  leg  should  not  swing  out  be- 
yond the  edge  of  the  leaf.  If  the  frame  is  designed  in  connection  with  the 
top  the  leg  can  be  kept,  in  any  part  of  its  orbit,  some  inches  away  from 
the  side  of  the  leaf,  and  so  avoid  awkwardness  of  appearance,  and  still 
more  important,  prevent  the  collision  of  human  with  table  legs.  This 
feature  is  also  assisted  by  a  generous  overhang  at  the  ends.  There  is  a 
considerable  variation  in  this  regard,  ranging  from  four  to  eight  inches; 
averaging  about  five  inches,  though  more  is  better. 

It  is  not  possible  in  a  small  table  leg  to  secure  bold  turnings.  Hence 
the  large  legs  are  prized  not  only  for  their  early,  quaint,  massive  effect,  but 
also  because  they  afford  room  to  allow  the  turner's  chisel  to  cut  deeply  and 
shape  fully  a  strong,  rich  design  for  the  leg  and  stretches. 

The  nature  of  walnut  in  table  tops  is  likely  to  cast  some  doubt  on  the 
collector's  mind.  In  English  Walnut  there  is  an  occasional  bluish  streak, 
running  with  the  grain,  perhaps  every  inch  or  two.  This  is  quite  obvious 
after  one's  eye  has  once  been  trained  to  look  for  it.  Black  walnut  will 
bleach  to  a  color  like  fresh  English  or  Virginia  Walnut.  On  the  other  hand 
these  latter  walnuts  are  often  very  much  bleached  on  old  table  tops.  They 
should  be  examined  on  the  under  side. 


[367] 


A  GATE-LEG  Table,  with  unusually  fine  turnings,  owned  by  the  Metro- 
politan Museum.  One  notices  the  long  efifect  of  the  frame,  in  proportion  to 
the  width.  This  picture  shows  the  slot  in  the  frame  above  regularly  made 
to  receive  the  leg  top,  which  is  halved  to  fit  in  completely.  These  cuts  are 
a  distinct  blemish  in  any  open  gate  table,  as  seen  at  the  bottom  in  this 
picture.    The  table  looks  best  when  closed. 

The  turnings  in  this  case  are  bold,  but  they  are  so,  always,  at  the  expense 
of  strength.    If  the  leg  is  very  large  there  is  leeway  for  bold  turnings. 

Gate-leg  tables  usually  have  one  drawer  reaching  about  two-thirds  the 
length  of  the  table.  If  the  table  is  very  large  there  are  two  drawers.  In 
the  earliest  types  there  is  often  a  central  slat  under  the  drawer,  on  which 
it  slides. 

We  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  grooved  runs  on  gate  tables,  in  more 
than  a  half  dozen  instances. 


I  368] 


f  J  flr.i  ju  A  ■ 


A  SOMEWHAT  stockily  turned  gate-leg  table,  in  the  possession  of  the 
writer.    It  has  lost  its  feet  but  is  otherwise  original. 

The  turning  is  usually,  as  here,  a  doubled  vase  and  ring.  The  leg,  cut 
in  two  in  the  middle,  would  give  two  identical  turnings.  But  on  pages  364, 
371,  376  and  382  we  have  single  vases.  There  is  little  to  choose  between  the 
styles,  if  each  is  of  the  best  character,  but  the  double  vase  is  usually  better 
done. 

The  table  above  is  of  medium  size,  is  of  maple,  including  the  top  and  dates 
about  1690-1720.  It  has  the  tongue  and  grooved  joint,  where  leaf  and  center 
join,  resembling  the  modern  matched  board,  only  less  pronounced.  This 
sort  of  joint  is  counted  the  best,  though  some  very  fine  specimens  are  found 
with  the  rule  joint,  generally  called  by  modern  cabinet  makers,  a  table 
joint.  From  the  point  of  appearance  the  rule  joint  is  better,  but  later. 
We  doubt  if  any  gate-leg  was  made  with  a  plain  joint,  that  is  with  edges  at 
the  junction,  square.  The  claim  is  often  made  of  great  age  for  such  edges. 
The  burden  of  proof  is  on  the  claimant. 

Tables  often  have  a  thin  block  attached  under  the  leaf,  as  a  stop  to  prevent 
the  leg  going  too  far. 


369  1 


-ljI 


A  LARGE  Gate-leg  Table  with  fine  turnings.  One  should  notice  that  in 
the  finest  style  all  legs,  including  the  leg  which  acts  as  a  hinge,  should  extend 
to  the  floor,  as  in  this  example,  as  contrasted  with  the  table  on  the  preceding 

page. 

The  relation  of  uniformity,  so  important  in  a  gate-leg  table,  is  thus  man- 
tained.  It  is  only  necessary  to  see  two  tables  together,  one  with  and  one 
without  this  refinement,  to  feel  the  great  superiority  of  the  hinged  leg  with 
the  addition  at  the  bottom.  It  is  matters  like  these  that  contribute  to  the 
charm  of  this  most  important  style.  The  table  below  is  a  good  maple 
specimen. 

The  table  above  is  owned  by  Flayderman  &  Kaufmann,  Boston. 


I  370) 


A  GATE-LEG  Table,  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Stiles,  York,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Date:  1700-1730.  This  piece  is  possibly  unique  in  the  use  of  an 
X  stretcher.  The  solidity  gained  by  such  a  method  is  apparent  although  the 
top  of  the  table  itself  would  seem  to  reinforce  the  rigidity  of  the  frame  and 
make  such  a  stretcher  superfluous.  Nevertheless,  the  design  is  appealing 
and  excites  our  interest. 

Of  course  the  top  should  be  oval  and  not  square.  Possibly  some  gate-leg 
tables  had  rectangular  tops  originally,  but  no  such  table  has  come  to  the 
author's  attention.  The  shape,  we  say,  should  be  oval,  but  there  are  a  few 
instances  of  circular  tops.  The  oval  is  longer  across  the  top  than  along  the 
frame.  That  is,  it  is  short  the  long  way,  and  long  the  short  way,  so  to  say! 
The  very  marked  oval,  showing  an  extreme  drop  of  the  leaf  is  counted  most 
desirable.  But  there  are  many  things  to  be  thought  of,  and  confusion  of 
judgment  is  easy.  It  is  necessary  to  tell  all  the  points  over,  one  by  one. 
Are  the  balls,  or  "pears"  on  the  feet;  are  the  stretchers  turned;  is  the  tur- 
ning fine  and  bold;  is  the  top  original;  what  is  its  shape;  is  there  a  drawer; 
what  is  the  wood;  what  is  the  leaf  joint;  the  condition;  the  color,  the  size; 
and  many  other  questions. 


371 


A  GATE-LEG  Table  with  large  bold  turnings  and  the  flat  gate.  Ordinarily 
a  flat  gate  is  the  mark  of  an  English  table,  but  in  this  instance,  and  some 
others  in  this  volume,  it  is  not  so  regarded.  This  table  is  walnut  and  has  not 
turned  stretchers;  they  would  not  be  natural  with  a  flat  gate.  The  unifor- 
mity of  the  legs  is  lost  in  the  flat  gate  style,  nor  has  the  flat  gate  advan- 
tages beyond  ease  of  manufacture,  and  even  that  is  slight.  It  does  not 
require  to  be  cut  into,  to  secure  complete  closing. 

One  notices  in  some  gate-leg  tables  in  this  book  an  end  frame  which  is 
scrolled  on  the  under  side,  sometimes  with  a  cupid's  bow  curv^e,  sometimes 
more  simply.  It  is  an  added  touch  of  style,  but,  unless  the  end  has  a  wide 
overhang,  is  a  further  hindrance  to  the  legs  of  the  sitter. 


I  372  ] 


A  SPANISH-FOOT  Gate-leg  Table.  Owner:  the  author.  Date:  1690- 
1710.  These  tables  are  very  rare.  Perhaps  a  dozen  are  known.  They  are 
very  fine  in  connection  with  Spanish-foot  chairs.  This  specimen  is  maple. 
The  top  is  45^^  by  47  inches.  The  hight  is  27^2  inches.  The  frame  is 
14  by  33  inches.  There  is  a  drawer.  The  feet  project,  as  they  should,  well 
beyond  the  square  of  the  leg.  These  feet  are  formed  of  attached  pieces. 
Practice  in  this  respect  varied.  Sometimes  the  foot  was  carved  from  the 
solid  wood  on  the  post.  More  often  the  "toes"  were  glued  on.  One  should 
beware  of  being  hoaxed  by  a  new  carving  on  a  foot  not  designed  as  a  Spanish 
foot.  The  failure  to  project  beyond  the  line  of  the  leg  is  a  plain  indication 
of  the  deception,  unless  the  foot  is  added  bodily,  being  doweled  on,  which 
may  be  learned  by  examination. 

Such  tables  have,  in  the  rough,  lost  some  parts  of  the  feet,  unless  they  are 
carved  from  the  solid. 


I  373 


A  SMALL  Gate-leg  Table  belonging  to  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown.  It  has 
a  drawer,  and  the  tongued  and  grooved  leaf  joint. 

Little  tables  like  this  are  very  much  desired,  as  they  are  not  only  beauti- 
ful, but  adapt  themselves  readily  as  occasional  tables. 

The  frame  of  a  gate-leg  sometimes,  as  in  this  case,  is  made  to  take  the 
drawer  directly  under  the  top.  In  other  cases  there  is  a  cross  member,  a 
half  inch  to  an  inch  thick  on  the  frame,  above  the  drawer.  This  member 
seems  to  add  strength,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  best  tables  do  not  have  it. 
We  mention  the  matter  because  we  have  heard  this  cross  member  challenged, 
but  we  are  certain  it  was  original  in  several  instances. 


I  374) 


A  DAINTY  Little  Gate-leg  Table.  Owner:  the  author.  The  turnings 
are  especially  fine.  It  is  all  in  walnut.  The  drawer  has  an  odd  hook  handle 
of  wood.  The  turnings  are  striped  with  bands  of  red  paint,  which  is  old, 
but  not,  we  suppose,  original.  The  condition  is  excellent,  and  original, 
it  has  the  tongue  and  grooved  joint  on  the  leaves. 

Dimensions:  Top,  24>^  by  28^4  inches.  Hight,  273^  inches.  The  leaves 
are  10  inches  wide;  and  the  top  8^^4  inches  wide.  Such  pieces  are  very  rare, 
having  all  the  original  feet.  The  difference  in  condition  of  feet  in  tables  ot 
the  same  age  arose  from  the  fact  that  some  of  them  were  kept  and  moved 
about  on  sanded  floors. 


I375I 


-J 


A  "TUCK-AWAY"  or  Single  Folding  Gate-leg  Table,  in  the  former  col- 
lection of  the  author.  The  top  is  pine  and  the  frame,  we  believe,  is  maple. 
Both  the  stretchers  being  turned  and  the  shoe  being  scrolled  both  on  the 
bottom  and  on  the  top  give  greater  importance  to  the  piece.  This  table 
was  found  on  Cape  Cod.  The  top  is  in  one  piece,  chamfered  on  the  under 
side.    Its  size  is  25  by  35  inches. 

The  attachment  of  the  top  to  the  frame  is  by  butterfly  hinges. 


I  376] 


A  TUCK-AWAY  Gate-leg  Table.  Otherwise  called  a  single-  or 
folding-gate  table.  Owner:  the  author.  It  is  usual  for  such  tables, 
which  have  oval,  one-piece  tops  to  swing,  so  that  the  long  way  of  the 
oval  stands  up  and  down.  This  table  swings  the  other  way.  It  came 
from  an  ancient  family  and  bears  a  brass  inscription  with  its  genealogy, 
which  we  will  not  quote.  It  is  maple.  The  stretchers  are  not  turned  as 
in  the  table  opposite.  The  top  is  20  by  26^  inches;  and  the  hight  is 
26X  inches.     Date:  1690-1720. 


[  377  I 


AN  All- Pine  Vase  Trestle  Gate-leg  Table.  Owner:  Now  unknown. 
It  may  be  questioned  whether  the  top,  with  no  joint  molding,  is  original, 
though  old.  The  effort  by  a  country  cabinet  maker  to  produce  a  trestle 
gate-leg  is  delightful  in  its  quaintness.  The  shoes,  or  trestle-feet,  are  very 
thick.  They  have  lost  something  of  their  contour  by  wear.  They  orig- 
inally extended  somewhat  farther  on  the  floor.  The  scrolled  end  and  bot- 
tom brace,  and  the  fluting  of  the  end  are  the  principal  decorations.  Date: 
1680-1710. 


[378] 


A  FOLDING  Trestle-gate  Table.  Owner:  the  author.  Wood:  mahog- 
any; this  being  the  only  mahogany  piece  of  furniture  shown  in  this  book. 
We  are,  by  announced  design,  carrying  through  the  gate-leg  tables  to 
their  decline.  The  style  of  this  table,  which  came  from  the  South,  is  early; 
it  is  perhaps  an  instance  of  the  use  of  mahogany  in  1720-30;  The  leaf  has 
the  rule  joint.  So  also  has  the  great  table  in  Albany,  already  mentioned. 
That  is  in  walnut.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  when  the  rule  joint  came 
in  but  it  seems  to  have  been  well  established  by  1750. 

When  folded  the  thickness  of  the  table  is  6%  inches.  The  top  is  35  inches 
long  and  42^4  wide — a  very  strong  oval.  It  has  a  fine  thumb-nail  molding. 
The  height  is  24^^  inches.  The  piece  has  good  style  with  long  overhang, 
and  a  large  top  in  proportion  to  the  base. 

Mahogany  examples  are  known  in  the  first  decade  of  the  i8th  Century. 


I  379  1 


A  WALNUT  Trestle-Gate-Leg  Table.  It  is  owned  by  the  Metropolitan 
Museum.  The  center  board  is  only  6yi  inches  wide  and  its  length  is  43 
inches.  The  thickness  is  three  quarters  of  an  inch.  The  leaves  are  lo>2 
inches  wide.  The  hight  is  27^  inches.  The  shoe  is  9  inches  long  and 
2%  inches  square.  The  legs  are  i^s  inches  square.  The  top  of  the  stretcher 
is  5^  inches  from  the  floor.  The  frame  is  'iSVi  inches  long.  The 
examination  the  author  made  of  the  table  was  some  time  since,  and  he 
cannot  say  whether  the  top  is  original.  The  shape  is  against  the  presump- 
tion of  originality;  so  also  is  the  narrowness  of  the  leaf,  which  should  for 
the  best  style  be  clearly  double  what  it  is. 

The  table  is  extraordinary,  being  the  longest  folding  gate  we  have  seen. 
It  has  lost  a  half  inch  or  more  at  the  base.  Date:  1670-1690.  Tables  in 
this  style  are  very  convenient,  as  they  occupy  little  room  when  not  in  use. 


I  380 


A  HEAVY  Turned  Trestle-Gate-Leg  Table.  Owner:  the  author.  Date: 
1660-90.  Wood:  cherry.  It  is  a  very  early  example  of  the  use  of  cherry. 
It  would  seem  hardly  necessary  to  slot  the  base  for  the  flat  gate,  but  so  we 
find  it;  an  unusual  form. 

The  shoes  are  pretty  well  worn  down,  on  their  uppers,  as  one  may  see. 
They  were  once  scrolled  with  a  double  curve.  They  have  probably  lost  a 
good  inch  or  more.  The  hight  is  now  27;^ 4  inches.  The  thickness,  closed, 
is  15^  inches;  the  leaves  are  ijyi  inches  wide  each,  and  the  length  is  36 
inches.  Thus  the  oval  is  extreme.  The  top  and  the  flat  gates  are  3^^  of  an 
inch  thick.  Tops  on  small  tables,  in  hard  wood,  are  very  commonly  of 
this  thickness.  The  posts  are  stocky  for  so  small  a  table,  being  2^  inches, 
flush,  square.    Of  course  trestle  tables  can  never  have  drawers. 


I381I 


A  CORNER  Gate-leg  with  a  single  gate,  the  property  of  Mr.  George  F. 
Ives,  of  Danbury  Connecticut.  If  this  piece  is  not  unique  at  least  the 
author  has  never  heard  of  another  example.  The  top,  without  a  doubt 
original,  is  in  pine.  We  count  the  piece  of  sufficient  importance  to  show 
it  both  extended,  and  with  the  leaf  dropped.  It  suggests  a  small  three- 
cornered  table  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  in  its  treatment  of  the  corner 
posts  which  are,  of  course,  triangular  where  they  ordinarily  would  be  square. 
Corner  tables  seem  always  to  possess  a  charm  probably  arising,  if  we  are 
to  study  the  psychology  of  the  matter  from  their  evident  adaptation  to  their 
location,  and  to  the  sense  of  snugness,  and  the  utilization  of  space.  In 
the  same  way  any  corner  furniture  is  popular. 


382 


WHILE  the  stretchers  of  this  piece  are  plain,  we  count  it  scarcely  less 
important  for  that  reason.  The  turned  stretchers  are  more  sought  for  and 
of  course  more  decorative,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  very  earliest  tables 
did  not  have  them.  The  tavern  table  is  a  case  in  point.  In  gate-leg  tables 
the  failure  to  turn  the  stretcher  is  counted  a  greater  objection  than  in  other 
styles;  but  while  this  should  be  true  it  is  not  obvious,  unless  it  is  because 
we  have  come  to  think  of  the  gate-leg  table  as  a  beautiful  piece,  and  demand 
some  ornateness  in  the  turning  and  the  carrying  out  of  that  idea  of 
turning  as  far  as  possible.  Date:  1670-1 700.  Size:  top,  31  inches  square. 
Hight,  27  inches. 

Any  one  who  has  not  forgotten  his  pons  asinorum  may  work  out  the 
diagonal.  Since  picturing  this  table  the  author  heard  of  another,  only  to 
discover  it  was  English.  One  advantage  of  bringing  such  pieces  to  light 
is  to  challenge  others  to  search.  We  have  no  doubt  other  examples  will 
be  reported. 


[383I 


ABOVE  are  Two  Split  Gate  Tables.  On  the  left  is  a  very  early  example 
of  a  card  table.  The  frame  being  triangular,  is  adapted  for  a  corner,  but  the 
top  on  the  other  hand  is  almost  an  exact  circle.  The  scheme  of  splitting  the 
gate  like  a  split  spindle  which  shows  as  a  complete  leg  when  the  table  is 
closed,  seems  to  have  come  in  a  little  later  than  the  gate-leg  period  and  it  is 
possible  that  the  origin  is  not  English.  The  top  of  this  piece  is  soft  pine, 
a  flush  inch  in  thickness.     Date:  1680-1700. 

At  the  right  is  a  split  gate  leg  with  a  gate  on  each  side  and  with  flat  plain 
stretchers  which,  of  course,  are  cut  into  in  order  to  form  the  gate  so  that  the 
stretcher  is  split,  as  one  may  say,  as  well  as  the  post.  This  piece  is  in  hard 
pine  and  is  reputed  to  have  come  from  Bilbao.  The  top  is  thin,  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch,  such  as  is  often  seen  in  small  foreign  tables.  Neverthe- 
less, we  are  not  prepared  to  pass  judgment  upon  the  origin  of  this  piece. 
It  should  be  compared  with  the  large  split  gate-leg  opposite.  Date:  1690- 
1700. 

This  style  in  tables  seems  not  to  have  been  popular,  as  there  are  very  few 
found,  and  even  today  they  are  not  at  all  eagerly  sought  by  antiquarians. 
In  this  connection  it  is  amusing  to  note  that  there  seem  to  be  waves  of 
popularity,  first  of  one  sort  of  furniture,  then  of  another,  in  the  mind  of 
collectors.  The  same  has  proved  true  in  china;  the  blue  china  was  much 
sought  for  a  few  years  since,  being  now  unpopular.  Slight  incidents  not 
properly  a  logical  basis  for  action,  effect  these  waves  of  popularity.  At 
the  present  moment  decorated  furniture,  butterfly  tables  and  Carver  chairs 
would  seem  to  be  sought  for  with  feverish  intensity. 


I384I 


A  LARGE  Ball-turned  Split  Gate-Leg  Table.     It  was  in  the  authof^ 
former  collection.     Present  owner  unknown.     It   is  attractive,  as  a  fine 
example  of  its  kind,  but  the  kind  has  not  appealed  to  all.     Perhaps  there  is 
a  suggestion  of  weakness  in  the  splitting  of  the  leg,  but  these  tables  seem 
strong. 

One  hesitates  to  say  to  what  lengths  the  love  of  the  gate-leg  table  may- 
take  some  persons.  There  is  an  eagerness  for  their  possession,  as  if  speci- 
mens were  few.  Fashion  demands  them.  In  England  there  is  a  specimen 
with  as  many  legs  as  a  banyan  tree  has  trunks.  The  leaves  fall  on  all  four 
sides.  We  may  account  for  the  rarity  of  massive  examples  from  the  fact 
that  the  very  genius  of  the  table  demanded  closing  and  moving.  One 
large  table,  with  four  gates,  of  walnut,  weighs  216  pounds! 


I  385) 


::;->,  .s»«»£5e;:^Sfet^iS£i^^?^«s^^i 


A  WALNUT  Gate-leg  Table.  Owner:  the  author.  The  legs  are  in  a  fine 
state  of  preservation,  and  the  top  has  fine  large  original  butterfly  hinges. 
The  frame  is  1 1  by  29  inches;  the  hight,  28  inches;  the  top,  ^o}4  (with  the 
grain)  by  29/4  inches.  An  odd  instance  of  a  gate-leg  table  which  is  actually 
longer  lengthwise  than  cross-wise!  The  turnings  are  excellent.  The  original 
drawer  is  lost.  The  table  was  found  in  Southern  New  Hampshire.  It  is  a 
question  what  was  the  source  of  its  red,  that  is,  Virginia,  walnut.  We  sim- 
ply presume  that  in  such  cases  the  piece  was  long  since  brought  from  a 
point  farther  south,  or  that  the  cabinet  makers  on  the  coast  brought  up 
walnut  by  coastwise  vessels  at  the  time  when  it  became  fashionable.  Not 
a  few  Virginia  walnut  pieces  of  furniture  were  made  in  New  England. 


I  386  I 


-■'"  ■     ■■  ■"  ■"'  \  '  'Itk^ 

a   ^'  \     "" 

--  L ^ 


I387I 


U- 


.>UltU^&«liE»N<7-.--»'.'<J 


I    388 


A  BEAUTIFUL  and  beautifully  preserved  slate  top  table,  owned  by 
Mr.  Daniel  Staniford  of  Boston,  appears  on  page  387. 

Its  frame  is  of  walnut.  The  top  is  inlaid  with  what  appears  to  be  apple 
wood,  with  a  single  marquetry  design  on  one  side.  The  stone  is  original, 
and  whole,  its  size  being  14^2  by  29^^  inches. 

The  table  is  in  very  fine  condition.  The  stretchers  are  deeply  and  delight- 
fully worn  on  three  sides,  the  fourth  side  having  been,  probably,  against  a 
wall. 

The  grandfather  of  the  owner  taught  school  using  this  table  for  his  desk. 

Its  top  is  40  by  25  inches,  the  width  of  the  border  outside  the  slate  is 
5^  inches.  The  frame  is  25  by  19^  inches.  The  hight  is  28  inches.  The 
date  is  1690-1710.  On  page  388  is  shown  again  the  table  in  the  Antiquarian 
Society  at  Worcester. 

On  this  page  appears  the  dining  room  of  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives. 


I389I 


A  BEAUTIFUL  little  butterfly  table  in  curly  maple.  Owner:  Mr.  Geo. 
F.  Ives.  The  top  is  the  narrowest  we  have  seen,  being  only  six  inches  out- 
side the  frame,  leaving  no  room  for  a  draw.  The  wings  are  quaintly  and 
unusually  shaped.  The  top  is  23^  by  33  inches.  The  frame  at  the  base  is 
14  inches,  showing  a  rapid  spread.  The  wings  of  these  tables  are  always 
thin — from  a  half  inch  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch. 


(390 


AN  unique  Table  belonging  to  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  This  piece  combines 
some  features  of  the  butterfly  with  quaint  brackets,  which  are  not  at  all 
like  the  butterfly  design.  It  suggests  to  us  a  little  the  style  of  the  crane 
bracket.  The  turned  stretcher  and  the  short  T  of  the  turned  post  which 
sustains  the  main  member  of  the  brackets  combine  several  elements  of 
quaintness.  The  setting  of  the  bracket  under  the  frame  in  the  gate-leg 
style,  of  course,  made  it  necessary  to  cut  away  the  remainder  of  the  bracket 
except  the  outside  strut  which  is  framed  into  the  horizontal  member. 
Doubtless  the  maker  had  in  mind  a  middle  stretcher  table  and  sought  to 
adapt  the  butterfly  design  to  it.  The  result  was  certainly  one  of  great 
interest  and  rarity.  The  eye  loves  to  follow  the  uniform  idea  of  turning 
throughout  such  a  piece,  a  style  which  indicates  a  sense  of  harmony  in  the 
mind  of  the  maker,  very  satisfactory  to  our  thought.  This  is  one  of  a  half 
dozen  pieces  in  this  book  which  have  been  published  previously.  The  size 
is  33  by  37  inches. 

Date:  1670- 1700. 

I  391  I 


A  VERY  dainty  small  Butterfly  Table,  the  property  of  the  Estate  of 
Mrs.  Reinholt  Faelten.  It  is  only  twenty-one  and  a  quarter  inches  high. 
The  turnings  are  highly  meritorious.  For  some  reason  very  small  butterfly 
tables  are  more  sought  for  than  the  average  size.  We  may  presume  it  is  that 
defect  in  human  nature  which  loves  the  unattainable.  The  top  of  this  piece 
is  in  pine  with  the  tongued  and  grooved  joint.  We  would  not  undertake 
to  say  what  parts  of  this  table,  and  that  on  page  402  have  been  supplied. 
The  molding  on  the  edge  of  the  frame  is  called  by  cabinet  workers  a 
stone  molding,  and  is  quite  the  usual  thing  on  many  old  tables.  The 
student  will  observe  there  is  a  considerable  difference  in  the  rake  of  the 
legs  of  butterfly  tables.  In  this  case  the  rake  is  rather  extreme  but  no  less 
attractive.     Date  about  1700. 

I  392  I 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^RHRP^^^^'I^^Vf^'''' 

h  ^^TfWH 

m     ^1    HgHH 

1    1^^ 

A  BUTTERFLY  Table  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend  of  Brook- 
line.  This  piece  has  all  the  marks  of  wear  which  are  so  delightful  to  the 
collector  because  they  enhance  the  sense  of  humanness  connected  with  old 
furniture.  The  wear  of  the  stretchers  is  especially  noticeable.  The  table 
is  small  and  has  an  oval  top.  The  object  of  slanting  the  legs  of  these  tables 
is  obvious.  Greater  stability  was  secured,  and  the  slant  afforded  room  for 
the  bracket  to  swing  back  against  the  frame  without  awkwardness.  When 
the  leaf  fell  it  reached  the  slanting  leg  which  seemed  to  come  out  to  receive 
it.  The  bracket  is  usually  slanted  inward  somewhat,  on  the  back.  Date: 
1700-20. 


I  393  1 


A  BUTTERFLY  Table,  having  a  pine  top  with  tongued  and  grooved 
joint,  and  a  flush  drawer.  The  brackets  in  this  piece  are  somewhat  clumsy 
and  perhaps  not  original.  In  this  connection  an  unsuspected  refinement 
in  furniture  is  revealed.  Any  failure  of  relation  between  one  part  and 
another  instantly  asserts  itself  even  if  it  is  no  more  than  one  eighth  of  an 
inch  difference  in  a  bracket.  This  piece,  of  course,  has  lost  its  feet,  but 
the  turned  stretcher  partly  compensates.     Date:  1700-10. 

This  may  be  as  good  an  opportunity  as  any  to  refer  to  the  method  of 
fastening  the  joints  of  furniture.  Frame  work  was,  of  course,  always 
fastened  with  square  pins  preferably  oak,  driven  in  round  holes  and  bored 
slightly  staggering;  that  is,  the  hole  on  the  tenon  was  a  trifle  toward  the 
outside  of  the  post.  Thus  the  pin  when  driven  tended  to  draw  the  joint 
together  and  originated  the  phrase,  perhaps  in  the  mouth  of  Edwin  Simons 
of  Hartford,  "a  draw-bore  pin."  The  tops  were  also  so  bored  as  to  assist 
the  pins  in  offsetting  one  another,  that  is  the  pins  were  inserted  at  different 
angles  so  as  to  overcome  the  tendency  to  pull  the  top  free. 


I  394 


A  SMALL  Trestle  Table,  with  leaves  and  butterfly  brackets.  In  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Dwight  Blaney.  An  unique  piece.  It  combines  two 
much  sought  for  forms, — the  trestle  and  the  butterfly  table.  Of  this  the 
trestle  style  is  more  rare.     It  is  compact,  quaint,  light  and  convenient 

The  other  small  trestle  tables  we  know  have  either  the  one-piece  top,  or 
are  in  the  gate  leg  style.  The  charm  attaching  to  uniqueness  was  gained 
through  the  little  one-man  shops  of  early  days.     Date:  1690-1700. 


I  395  ] 


A  BUTTERFLY  Table  belonging  to  Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour. 
Curiously  the  drawer  seems  never  to  have  had  a  handle. 

The  table  came  from  the  Captain  Charles  Churchill  House,  Newington, 
Connecticut.  Built  1762-3.  This  specimen,  made  of  cherry,  may  be  later 
than  the  usual  1700,  and  date  from  Captain  Churchill's  marriage  in  1747. 
It  may,  perhaps,  have  belonged  to  his  forbears,  but  its  fine  condition  and  its 
being  made  of  cherry  favor  a  later  date.  The  table  is  in  absolutely  original 
condition.  It  has  its  original  feet  and  an  interesting  touch  in  the  curious 
bosses  at  the  lower  ends  of  its  leaf-supporting  wings.  The  leaves  are  hung 
on  large  butterfly  hinges.  The  turnery  though  simple  is  refined  and  well 
understood.     Hight,  27^^  inches;  top,  403^  by  45K  inches. 

Mr.  Seymour  has  a  companion  cherry  butterfly  table,  also  from  the 
Churchill  House  in  Newington,  which  table  has  a  rectangular  top. 


I  396] 


A  LARGE  Square-leaved  Butterfly  Table,  the  property  of  the  Rhode 
Island  School  of  Design,  from  the  former  Nutting  Collection.  The  top  of 
this  piece  appears  to  be  original,  but  in  matters  of  this  kind  there  is  no  abso- 
lute certainty,  as  the  top  may  have  been  in  place  for  a  hundred  years.  It 
is  indeed  often  possible  by  tearing  a  piece  apart  to  ascertain  certainly  the 
originality  of  a  top,  but  the  author  frankly  believes  there  is  no  other  way  of 
knowing.  This  table  has  an  interesting  detail  in  the  sockets  for  the  ex- 
tended cleats  of  an  additional  leaf  placed  at  both  ends,  undoubtedly  sub- 
sequent to  the  making  of  the  piece.  Thus  a  table  of  good  size  was  obtained 
for  a  dining  room.    The  oval  style  is  regarded  as  a  better  style. 

An  interesting  peculiarity  of  this  piece  is  a  circular  hole  in  the  bracket, 
enhancing  the  butterfly  effect  just  as  a  large  spot  often  appears  in  the 
butterfly's  wing,  although  this  opening  was  cut  more  likely  to  give  lightness 
to  the  piece  where  strength  was  not  required.  Careful  examination  by  more 
than  one  expert  has  established  the  originality  of  this  aperture.  Date: 
about  1700. 


I  397 


A  BUTTERFLY  Table,  owned  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  The  design, 
while  simple,  is  good.  The  elongated  pear  feet  which  have  escaped  wear  are 
a  good  example  of  their  kind;  the  turnings  are  simple.    Date:  about  1725. 

Below  is  an  interesting  variant  of  the  butterfly  table,  in  that  the  posts 
are  vertical  and   the  top    very  wide.    This  style  necessitates  a  different 

method  of  cutting  the  top 
of  the  bracket  so  that  the 
edge  of  it  shall  fall  into 
a  slot  in  the  frame. 
Date:  1700-30. 
Opposite  is  a  small 
square  cupboard  with  a 
cut  corner  panel,  and 
ball  feet;  also  a  butterfly 
table,  which  are  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Rhode  Island 
School  of  Design.  The 
date  of  the  cupboard  is 
about  1690-1700.  That  of 
the  table  may  be  1 700-20. 


[398] 


I  399  1 


A  BUTTERFLY  Table,  with  Plain  Stretchers.  The  draw  is  not  flush, 
but  has  the  projecting  edge  with  lip,  helping  us  to  a  date  a  little  after  1700. 
The  present  ownership  of  this  table  is  unknown.  Its  legs  are  very  much 
heavier  than  usual,  and  resemble  more  the  legs  of  the  standing  tables  of  the 
17th  Century.  The  top  has  an  edge  which  we  like,  though  without  reason. 
It  is  a  rolling  edge,  without  the  thumb  nail  feature.  The  wood  is  maple,  in 
the  frame;  pine  in  the  top.     The  size  is  medium. 

Butterfly  tables  are  becoming  very  scarce  in  their  good  forms,  or  even 
in  any  form.  They  have  appreciated  enormously  within  five  years.  It 
is  hardly  possible  to  find  a  good  example  within  the  means  of  the  average 
collector. 


(400  I 


--: — »l;-^> 


A  BUTTERFLY  Table,  in  the  possession  of  the  author.  It  has  a  drawer 
with  knob,  and  is  all  original.    It  lacks,  however,  the  balls  on  the  feet. 

The  tongued  and  grooved  joint  found  on  this  table  and  on  most  pieces 
before  1725,  is  counted  desirable  as  a  mark  of  date,  yet  some  of  the  finest 
tables  in  existence  have  the  rule  joint.  The  material  of  this  piece  is  maple 
throughout.    The  size  is  above  the  average. 

Although  Connecticut  seems  to  be  the  home  of  the  butterfly  table,  some 
are  found  in  Eastern  Massachusetts  and  some  in  Southern  New  Hampshire 
so  that  we  must  doubt  the  conclusion  at  which  some  persons  have  arrived 
that  the  pieces  were  all  from  Connecticut.  It  is  probable  that  the  earlier 
types  had  plain  stretchers  as  here  shown,  whereas  the  turned  stretcher  came 
slightly  later,  but  even  this  is  a  point  about  which  it  is  dangerous  to  be 
dogmatic.  The  turned  stretcher  is  counted  more  desirable,  other  things 
being  equal,  but  size  and  general  style  may  over-match  the  lack  of  turning. 

A  feature  of  these  tables  is  that  the  drawer  is  slanted  inward  at  the  top 
to  correspond  with  the  frame,  producing  a  quaint  eff^ect.  The  handles  should 
always  be  small  wooden  knobs.  The  drawer  is  usually  sustained  by  a  bottom 
central  runner  and  in  a  few  instances  there  is  a  drawer  in  each  end  where 
the  table  is  large.     Date:  about  1700. 


401 


A  CURLY  Maple  Table  with  crane  brackets  belonging  to  the  Estate  of 
Mrs.  Reinholt  Faelten.  This  table  has  all  the  characteristics  of  the  butter- 
fly style,  except  for  the  bracket,  which  is  framed  together  and  is  very  light 
and  thin.  Nevertheless,  brackets  of  this  type  are  stronger  than  the  ordinary 
brackets  of  a  single  board,  which  was  very  liable  to  split.  The  explanation 
of  the  rarity  of  the  crane  bracket  undoubtedly  lies  in  the  greater  difficulty 
of  construction. 

Curly  maple  came  into  use,  in  some  instances,  probably  before  the  close 
of  the  Seventeenth  Century.  It  became  very  popular  for  a  time  and  then 
completely  went  out  after  about  one  generation.  The  principle  of  the 
decoration  is  against  the  use  of  curly  maple  in  a  turning,  as  a  turned  piece 
of  wood  is  decorative  in  itself,  and  to  use  double  decoration  at  the  same 
point  is  confusing  to  the  eye.  As  a  consequence  the  curly  grain  should  ap- 
pear only  in  the  plain  parts  of  a  piece  as  the  top,  the  frame  rails  and  the 
stretchers.  Size:  Top,  26}4  by  35  inches,  an  ellipse.  Hight,  25J2  inches. 
Date:  about  1700-20. 

[402  ] 


A  SMALL  Turned-bracket  Table  owned  by  Mr.  Harry  Long,  from  the 
author's  former  collection.  It  is  in  black  paint  crackled.  The  very  simple 
turnings  and  the  odd  device  by  which  the  bracket  member  is  halved  into  the 
frame,  like  a  gate-leg  table,  are  the  special  features.  The  device  of  the 
bracket,  however,  allies  the  piece  to  the  gate-leg  table  in  another  way  also, 
for  the  frame  is  made  vertical,  not  with  raked  legs,  as  is  necessary  in  the 
"butterfly"  pattern.  The  table  is  not  as  stable  as  the  "butterfly"  and  hence 
the  leaves  are  made  narrower.    The  top  is  a  circle.   Date:  about  1700-20, 


I  403  1 


A  CRANE-BRACKET  Table.  This  piece  closely  resembles  that  on  the 
preceding  page  in  design.  It,  however,  has  great  beauty  in  respect  to  its 
turnings,  since  the  crane-bracket  is  turned  to  correspond  with  the  rest  of  the 
piece,  and  there  is  a  middle  stretcher  to  stiffen  the  center,  owing  to  the  thrust 
of  the  bracket  at  that  point.  As  there  are  few  other  pieces  to  assist  our 
judgment  on  dates  we  must  naturally  allow  a  somewhat  wide  range,  but  we 
shall  not  be  far  amiss  in  naming  1690-1710.  The  original  was  not  available 
for  a  photograph  hence  this  sketch  has  been  made  in  pen  and  ink.  Of  all 
leaf  tables  it  has  appealed  to  the  writer  more  than  any  other.  It  has  the 
general  appearance  of  a  gate-leg  table  in  all  respects  except  the  bracket. 
This  table  and  the  preceding  are  often  classed  as  butterfly  tables,  but  errone- 
ously so,  as  they  have  few  features  in  common.  The  writer  has  ventured 
to  add  to  furniture  terms  the  name  "crane-bracket"  to  apply  to  these 
pieces. 


404] 


.aiMi'i;fa-YTi'iiri'i>iiiiit-v-V'i«'i' 


■■'"riWHIk  ■ 


WE  enter  here  upon  a  discussion  of  tavern,  or  tap-room  tables.  They 
were  so  called  because  of  the  habit,  in  early  times,  of  bringing  a  table  to  a 
customer  wherever  he  took  his  seat.  They  were  therefore  small  and  light, 
so  far  as  a  table  for  one  or  two  to  dine  at,  could  be.  But  in  our  day  any 
small  table  without  leaves,  and  larger  than  a  light  stand,  is  called  a  tavern 
table,  unless  it  was  clearly  made  for  some  other  special  use,  as  a  dressing 
table,  for  instance. 

The  table  above  is  a  fine  example  in  maple  of  a  medial  stretcher.  The 
turnings  are  rarely  good.  The  frame  is  17^  by  24^8  inches;  the  top  is 
233^  by  37>^  inches,  and  25  inches  high. 

Owner:  the  author.  Date:  1700-10.  The  lateness  of  the  date  is  marked 
by  the  drawer,  which  is  not  flush,  as  it  would  probably  be,  if  earlier.  The 
turnings  also,  one  should  note,  resemble  those  on  the  desk,  page  115,  more 
particularly  the  stretcher. 


I  40s  1 


THE  Ball-turned  Table 
with  high  stretcher  and 
scrolled  skirt,  is  of  maple, 
with  pine  top.  Owner: 
the  author.  Date:  about 
1680-90. 

The  top  is  28^2  by  ^iH 
inches — a  very  wide  top. 
In  a  table  of  this  shape 
we  presume  the  great 
width,  in  proportion  to 
the  length,  was  intended 
to  make  a  roomy  table 
for  four  persons. 

One  notes  the  absence  of 
any  low  medial  stretcher. 
Compare  with  table  on  page  418. 

Below  is  a  small  tavern  table  in  maple,  with  a  small  leaf,  probably  ori- 
ginal.    Several  such  tables  have  been  found.    Owner:  the  author. 

Such  light  turning  make  it  certain  frequent  moving  was  intended.  This 
table  has  wide  end  cleats,  a  part  of  the  top,  as  usual.  In  many  cases  the 
cleat  was  very  narrow  as  in  the  other  table  on  this  page. 

The  wide  cleating  was  by  mortise  and  tenon;  the  narrow  was  merely  nailed 
on.  The  drawer  is  flush,  but  the  lightness  of  the  frame  suggest  1700-30 
as  the  date. 

In  the  old  inventories  tavern  or  tap-room  tables  are  seldom,  if  ever, 
mentioned.  This  arises 
from  the  fact  that  the  "^^  - 
name  has  lately  been 
extended,  as  defined 
above.  Such  tables  in 
private  houses  would  be 
called,  if  defined  speci- 
fically in  inventories, 
merely  small  tables,  or 
perhaps  joined  tables. 
That  they  were  com- 
mon in  private  dwell- 
ings as  well  as  inns  has 
been  abundantly  proved. 


[406] 


A  TURNED  Table  with  Brackets.  Owner:  Mrs.  Insley  Blair.  Date 
1670-80.  A  fine  example  with  heavy  turnings  in  the  vase  pattern.  The 
thickness  of  the  top,  which  has  lost  its  cleats,  in  more  than  would  be  found 
on  a  light  table.  The  bracket  and  the  turned  drops  are  marks  of  good 
style,  and  rare.  Compare  with  table  on  page  411,  but  more  especially 
with  that  on  page  413,  which  is  strikingly  similar,  except  the  top. 

It  is  rightly  questioned  whether  such  a  table  was  ever  used  in  a  tap  room. 
No  doubt  this  and  similar  examples,  were  made  for  private  houses.  Indeed 
their  weight  hardly  classifies  them  as  tavern  tables,  but  they  are  placed 
here  for  want  of  a  better  place.  Almost  all  heavily  turned  tables,  in  this 
style,  or  anywise  resembling  it,  belong  in  the  17th  Century,  and  not  near 
its  end. 


[407I 


A  SMALL  heavy  Oak  Table  above  belongs  to  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  Its 
turnings  are  the  earliest.  It  resembles  those  of  the  chair,  page  177.  The 
size  of  the  frame  at  the  top  is  14^4'  by  834"  inches  and  it  stands  21  inches 
high  with  the  feet  missing.    The  date  is  1640-60. 

At  the  top  of  the  next  page  is  another  very  remarkable  table.  The  owner- 
ship is  private.  The  legs  rake  in  both  directions.  It  is  all  original  and  has 
a  long  overhang.  The  sturdiness  and  style  of  the  turnings  lead  us  to  think 
it  as  early  as  1660-70.  No  doubt  tables  with  tops  and  this  overhang  were 
designed  for  two,  one  sitting  at  either  end. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  next  page  is  a  lighter  tavern  table  with  stretchers 
on  the  outside.  This  piece  while  not  important,  has  much  that  appeals  in 
a  practical  way,  because  it  is  so  light.  It  is  in  violent  contrast  to  the  other 
two  tables  which  we  thus  purposely  set  off  by  a  more  usual  example.  Owner: 
now  unknown.  The  turnings  are  a  good  example  of  what  may  be  done  with 
insufficient  size  of  leg. 


[408] 


w 


409 1 


A  HEAVY  Oak  Table,  or  Stand.  There  is  here  a  suggestion  in  size 
and  sturdiness  of  the  table  on  page  408.  The  top  is  from  another  old  table 
and  is  probably  too  short,  it  being  now  25  by  i8>4  inches.  The  hight  is 
22^  inches.  The  frame  at  the  top  is  13^8  by  8^.  It  is  of  oak  with  pine 
top.  Owner:  the  author.  Date:  1660-80.  One  would  say  this  is  rather 
too  small  for  a  tavern  table;  and  a  stand  is  probably  a  better  name. 

The  number  of  American  oak  tables  has  not  been  tallied  but  all  known 
perhaps  do  not  exceed  three  or  four  score.  By  a  rough  approximation  one 
may  presume  that  about  a  half  of  the  furniture,  left  in  America,  dating  before 
1700,  may  have  come  to  light.  If  we  say  a  somewhat  larger  ratio  of  the 
great  pieces,  like  court  cupboards,  is  known,  and  a  much  smaller  ratio  of 
the  smaller  pieces,  we  shall  be  nearer  a  fair  estimate. 


I  410  1 


A  WALNUT  Heavy  Turned  Table.  Owner:  William  G.  Erving,  M.D. 
The  large  cup  turning,  so  striking,  appears  on  one  or  two  gate-leg  tables 
we  have  seen.  This  table  is  too  heavy  for  a  tavern  table;  it  most  probably 
was  used  at  the  side  of  a  dining  room.  Like  most  cabinet  work  of  the 
period  it  shows  a  "stone"  molding  on  the  upper  members  of  the  frame. 
The  legs  are  massive,  and  the  drawer  is  on  side  runners.  The  top  of  the 
table  is  29  by  4.1}^  inches.  Its  hight  is  28  inches.  The  frame  is  21  by 
32  inches. 

Date  about  1680-1690.  We  think  of  the  furniture  of  our  fathers  as 
heavy.  Their  passion  for  permanence  was  greater  than  ours.  But  our 
impressions  of  them  are  not  accurate,  judged  by  their  remaining  work, 
for  the  heavy  work  mostly  survived,  the  lighter  being  lost. 


I411I 


A  HEAVY  Oak  Tavern  Table.  Date:  1670-90.  Owner  unknown. 
The  crude  heavy  brackets  and  the  general  character  show  the  traditions 
of  the  middle  of  the  17th  Century.     The  feet  are  missing. 

The  tools  of  the  17th  Century  were,  with  the  exception  of  saw  mills, 
hand  tools.  The  abundant  water  power  introduced  the  saw  mill  within  a 
very  short  time  after  the  settlement.  Hewn  timber  is  not  even  a  sugges- 
tion of  antiquity.  Many  structures  of  this  generation  were  hewn,  and  are 
being  hewn  now.  It  was  a  question  of  nearness  to  a  saw  mill.  The  condi- 
tion of  roads  was  such  that  transportation  of  logs  by  oxen  was  prohibitory, 
beyond  a  mile  or  two.  The  turning  lathe  was  the  only  machine  except 
the  saw  mill  and  the  lathe  was  often  driven  by  the  foot. 

It  is  necessary  to  dissect  old  furniture  to  understand  its  structure.  Its 
anatomy  will  be  known  and  approved  in  this  process.  So  many  old  pieces 
are  ruinous,  requiring  to  be  re-glued,  that  we  are  able  to  trace  the  motives  of 
contruction,  always  a  fascinating  study,  to  those  who  wish  to  be  thorough. 
Thus  at  a  very  early  date  turned  furniture  was  popular  because  it  was  the 
simplest  good  style  combined  with  strength.  The  use  of  oak  in  the  under 
body  followed  the  tradition  of  English  strength.  The  early  cabinet  makers 
had  none  of  the  fatuous  confidence  in  glue  which  marks  their  successors. 
They  knew  pinned  joints  would  remain  good.  Thus  they  pinned  and  glued, 
but  if  they  omitted  either  precaution,  it  was  the  glue. 


[412  I 


A  HEAVY  Bracket  Table,  with  Drops.      Date:  1670-90. 
know  about  the  top,  whether  it  was  originally  in  this  form. 
Owner:  Mrs.  G.  C.  Bryant,  of  Ansonia,  Connecticut. 


We  do  not 


The  tools  used  by  the  people  of  the  Pilgrim  Century  were  of  wood  so 
far  as  they  could  be,  as  metal  was  relatively  higher  in  cost  then  than  now. 
The  most  numerous  tools  were  molding  planes.  A  builder  recently  died 
near  his  hundredth  year,  in  Portsmouth,  who  had  two  chests  full  of  mold- 
ing planes.  A  cabinet  maker  in  these  times  has  none,  because  his  work  is 
mostly  fitting  and  assembling.  The  bit  is  said  not  to  have  been  in  use. 
Augers,  chisels,  saws,  and  the  broad  axe,  formed  the  great  part  of  the 
other  tools.  Sand  paper  was  not  in  use.  The  plane  marks  can  be  seen  on 
all  early  work.  The  finish  was  inferior;  the  substance  was  superior.  The 
best  of  the  work  was  out  of  sight.     Now  the  best  shows. 

Tables  like  the  above  are  increasingly  rare.  Perhaps  a  score  are  known. 
In  the  inventories  such  tables  would  be  mentioned  as  framed,  joined  or 
standing,  without  sufficient  description  to  separate  them  from  other  styles. 
The  drops  and  brackets  are  never  mentioned.  But  the  love  of  style  was 
very  manifest,  because  it  was  very  rare  to  omit  some  effort,  in  turning,  at 
ornamentation. 


I413I 


"^*'''*^'^"''^  TWO   Tables    of   the 

tavern  size  and  style. 
Their  origin  is  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  were  in  the 
former  collection  of  the 
writer.  They  are  of  wal- 
nut. The  scroll  of  the 
frame  on  the  upper  table 
is  an  interesting  effort  at 
decoration.  The  feet  of 
this  piece  are  partly 
missing. 

The    table   below   has 
on    the    drawer  a   crude 
scratch  inlay,  a  scroll  filled  in  with  a  white  wood.     Date:   1700-30. 

The  medial  stretcher  on  these  and  other  tables  was  an  obvious  device 
to  give  room  for  the  feet  under  the  table.  Incidentally  the  invention  added 
to  the  attractiveness  of  the  table.  The  strength  was  hardly  less,  because 
two  mortises  at  the  same  hight  on  the  legs,  necessary  in  outside  stretchers, 
were  avoided.  The  turnings  of  these  tables,  flattened  on  the  bowl  of  the 
vase,  are  characteristic  of  Pennsylvania. 


The  love  of  ornament  is  much  more  strongly  marked  on  the  continent 
than  in  England.  The  Welsh  seem  to  love  ornament  more  than  the  English. 
But  the  furniture  ornament  of  America,  when  not  English,  was  Dutch. 
The  evidences  of  Dutch  feeling  in  New 
York,  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey, 
in  the  carving  of  kitchen  utensils  and 
the  decoration  of  cornices  and  table 
frames  is  very  marked. 

One  wonders  at  the  failure  of  Italy 
to  impress  America  directly  in  the 
17th  Century  in  the  matter  of  decora- 
tive art.  What  we  had  from  Italy 
was  first  modified  by  passing  through 
the  Dutch  and  English  developments. 
This  is  the  stranger  since  an  Italian 
discovered  America. 


I414I 


A  MAPLE  Medial  Stretcher  Tavern  Table.  The  turnings  are  odd, 
but  not  specially  meritorious.  Altogether,  however,  the  table  has  a  charm, 
partly  because  it  is  all  original,  unfinished  and  complete,  lacking  only  a 
little  of  the  feet.  Date:  1690-1700.  The  drawer  has  a  lip,  hence  the  late 
date.     Origin:  New  England. 

Vast  numbers  of  tavern  tables  have  been  destroyed.  When,  about  a 
generation  since,  the  Wayside  Inn  tables  were  sold  at  auction,  they  were 
knocked  off  four  for  a  dollar.  One  man  had  a  stack  of  them  like  a  winter 
wood  pile,  behind  his  barn.  The  American  bar  was  the  cause  of  the  loss 
of  these,  among  other  things.  Tavern  tables,  of  a  kind,  which  are  more 
often  mere  domestic  occasional  tables,  are  among  the  commonest  antiques. 
But  fine  patterns  are  now  scarce.  Good  specimens  are  still  coming  from 
their  hiding  places,  and  as  no  two  are  alike,  they  afford  much  interest  in 
the  way  of  comparison. 

The  slant  leg  specimens  are  most  valued.  The  scrolling  of  the  skirt, 
the  sturdiness  of  the  turnings,  the  hight  of  the  stretchers,  are  points  of 
importance. 


[415 


A  VERY  well  turned  large  tavern  table,  in  the  author's  possession. 
It  is  maple  with  a  pine  top.  The  frame  is  21  by  31  inches.  The  hight  is 
2S}i  inches.  The  top  is  27^4  by  40,5^.  The  brackets  add  to  its  impor- 
tance.    Date:  1680-1700.      Below   is  another  tavern  table.      Date:   1690- 

1700. 


I416I 


1 


A  TABLE  in  Birch,  with  High  Stretchers.  It  is  the  property  of  Mr. 
B.  A.  Behrend.  The  date  is  1660-70.  Only  the  feet  are  restored.  It  was 
found  in  Milford,  Massachusetts,  in  1917.  The  top  has  a  very  long  over- 
hang, eleven  inches  or  more,  greater  at  one  end  than  the  other,  proving  it 
was  attached  without  measuring.  The  balls  have  between  them  an  incipient 
ring,  and  are  very  sturdy. 

The  mystery  of  the  high  stretcher  has  never  been  solved.  It  was 
much  more  in  the  way  of  a  sitter  than  was  a  low  stretcher.  Yet  we  prize 
this  style  most  of  all.  This  is  the  earliest  piece  in  birch  that  has  come  to 
the  author's  attention.  Occasionally,  on  the  hills,  furniture  birch  was 
found  in  Southern  New  England.  Most  of  the  birch  in  lower  New  England 
grows  in  clusters  like  tufts  of  grass,  of  the  gray  variety,  and  is  punky  and 
worthless  as  a  furniture  wood. 

Birch  at  its  best  requires  a  very  cold  climate.  The  yellow  and  black 
and  "canoe"  varieties  supply  a  very  fine  hard  wood,  not  a  whit  inferior  to 
maple,  and  better  than  soft  maple.  When  large,  the  color  is  fine.  The 
birch  used  in  the  Pilgrim  Century  was  not,  for  furniture  at  least,  the  great 
trees  with  dark  wood,  but  the  smaller  sort.  The  yellow  variety  was  dark 
enough  without  finish. 


I  417 


A  HIGH  Stretcher,  Scrolled  Frame  Table.  It  was  formerly  in  the 
Prouty  collection,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  author.  It  has  been  previously 
illustrated.  We  feel  the  public  will  not  object  to  seeing  a  dozen  old  sub- 
jects among  so  very  many  newly  shown.  The  scroll  of  this  frame  is 
markedly  worthy.  The  drawer  has  grooved  side  runs.  The  turning  is  a 
refinement  of  the  plain  ball.  Paired  plain  vases  are  inserted  in  the  center 
of  the  long  turnings.  The  molding  carried  around  the  frame  is  another 
refinement.  The  frame  is  20/2  by  23J4  inches.  The  top  is  22  by  2'^/^ 
inches;  the  hight  25^4  inches.  Painted  black  over  red,  the  wood  is  birch, 
or  maple.  The  brackets  on  this  table  are  constructed  according  to  the 
usual  plan.  Their  ends  on  the  leg  are  tenoned  into  a  mortise  on  the  legs, 
but  their  other  ends  are  merely  nailed  down  to  the  frame  rail. 


I41S] 


A  BALL  Turned  Table,  with  Open  Brackets.  This  table  which  is 
owned  by  Mr.  Clauncey  C.  Nash,  is  simpler  than  the  preceding.  It  has 
the  same  general  features.  As  an  amusing  instance  of  the  rapid  manner  in 
which  a  discovery  of  such  a  table  arouses  interest,  this  table  as  soon  as 
found  changed  hands  five  times  in  five  days,  the  owners  being  in  three 
states.  It  has  since  been  sold  twice,  and  is  now  apparently  where  it  will 
remain  for  long.     Date;  1670-90. 

In  this  connection  we  have  the  answer  to  the  question:  What  is  the 
source  of  so  many  antiques.?  In  the  first  instance  some  seeker  finds  an 
antique  piece,  and  sells  it  to  a  dealer.  Frequently  that  dealer  passes  it 
on  to  another  dealer,  who  specializes  in  that  particular  subject.  It  then 
reaches  a  collector.  Collectors  are  mostly  elderly  gentlemen.  If  their 
fortunes  change  they  may  part  with  their  treasures.  Their  estates,  at  any 
rate,  are  very  frequently  dispersed  and  the  process  begins  again.  Thus 
one  of  the  best  articles  known  has  been  owned  by  nine  difi^erent  persons  in 
four  years.  There  are  not  many  remarkably  good  pieces,  but  they  get 
into  the  market  many  times  in  a  changing  world. 


[419 


^■'"Aifl^^a; 


,;«i-      tgjv.ir 


A  HANDSOME  Walnut  High-Stretcher  Table,  belonging  to  Mr. 
B.  A.  Behrend.  The  top  is  also  walnut.  The  table  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive  anywhere  to  be  seen.  It  is  small,  as  appears  from  its  bight 
in  proportion  to  its  other  dimensions.  We  place  it  very  high  in  order  of 
merit  among  tables  of  this  kind.     Date:  1680-90.     Every  line  is  good. 

The  explanation  of  the  frequent  absence  of  an  owner's  name  lies  in 
the  fact  that  the  author  has  for  years,  when  he  has  seen  a  good  example  of 
very  early  furniture,  procured  a  photograph  of  it.  Since  then  many  such 
examples  have  passed  into  various  hands  which  we  have  not  always  been 
able  to  trace.  We  are  more  interested  in  the  style  and  the  period  than  in 
the  personal  equation. 

It  is  unfortunately  necessary  in  this  work  to  crowd  rare  pieces  into 
small  space,  and  at  times  to  give  more  than  really  necessary  space.  The 
advantage  however  of  a  description  immediately  adjoining  the  illustration 
is  too  important  to  abandon. 


I420 


A  HEAVY  Turned  Bracket  Table.  Owner:  The  Metropolitan  Mu- 
seum. A  superb  example,  which  should  be  compared  with  similar  and 
possibly  somewhat  inferior  previous  tables.  The  frame  is  23^8  by  i8>^ 
inches.  The  top  is  36^^  by  36^/^,  intended  of  course  to  be  square.  The 
leg  is  2^  inches  square.  The  hight  is  26^4  inches.  There  is  a  four  inch 
drawer.  It  is  i2>^  inches  to  the  top  of  the  high  stretcher,  and  4>^  inches 
to  the  top  of  the  medial  stretcher. 

A  table  so  large  is  an  obviously  small  dining  table,  or  what  in  modern 
times  we  should  call  a  "center"  table — a  bad  name!     Date:  1650-70. 

Another  fine  example  of  a  somewhat  lighter  larger  square  table,  ap- 
peared in  New  York  a  little  time  since  and  was  eagerly  carried  away  by  a 
fortunate  collector.  Perhaps  no  table  is  more  desirable.  It  vies  with  the 
trestle  table,  the  largest  gate-legs,  and  the  most  important  refectory  tables. 
It  lacks  no  feature  counted  strong  and  important. 


[421  1 


AN  Oak  Tavern  Table.  Date:  1670-90.  An  oak  frame  is  quite  rare 
and  very  early.  Size  of  frame,  20>^  by  30^^  inches.  Top,  26  by  4034^ 
inches.  Hight,  26I/2  inches.  The  top  is  pine.  The  table  is  wholly  original. 
It  was  not  built  with  a  drawer.  Taste  in  the  matter  of  tables  like  these 
has  advanced  very  much  in  a  brief  period.  Many  good  judges  are  much 
taken  with  pieces  of  entire  simplicity,  if  they  are  in  oak  and  all  original, 
because  they  convey  a  strong  feeling  of  unity  with  the  typical  life  of  the 
17th  Century.     Owner:  the  author. 

With  this  review,  we  turn  our  attention  to  occasional  tables.  They  are 
always  fascinating,  because  so  individual.  They  assume  a  wide  variety  of 
forms.  Before  entering  on  those  that  could  be  used  for  any  purpose  we 
show  a  few  dressing  tables.     These  are  among  the  difficult  pieces  to  find. 


I  422] 


A  CHERRY  Six-legged  Lowboy,  owned  by  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  JNash. 
It  was  originally  owned  by  Anna  Rush,  whose  monument,  erected  by  the 
women  of  Streatham,  is  in  the  cemetery. 

This  important  little  piece  was  found  in  Streatham,  New  Hampshire, 
where  it  had  always  been  in  the  same  family.  It  is  all  original,  neither 
needing  nor  having  had  repairs.  Dimensions:  top,  34^-2  by  20 12  inches. 
Hight,  30X  inches.     Frame,  293^  by  lyjA  inches. 

The  author  does  not  remember  to  have  seen  another  low-boy  with  six 
legs.  Many  high-boy  bases  are  masquerading  under  the  name  of  low-boys, 
but  their  larger  size  and  obviously  new  tops  show  what  they  are.  Date: 
1700-20. 

[423  1 


A  CROSS-STRETCHER  Dressing  Table.  This  example  has  extra 
members  in  the  turning  of  the  legs — a  pleasing  variation.  The  small  drops 
are  missing.  The  wood  as  usual  is  walnut.  The  balls  of  the  feet  on  this 
and  most  lowboys  look  very  large.  That  was  the  style.  There  is  a  single 
arch  molding  about  the  drawers.  Owner:  Mr.  Hollis  French.  Date: 
I 690-1 700. 


The  derivations  of  styles  of  turning,  are,  like  the  sources  of  all  things, 
obscure.  The  earliest  turnings  known  on  English  furniture,  on  great 
tables,  beds,  court  cupboards,  and  such  pieces  were  crude,  and  not  classi- 
cal. The  Gothic  tradition  was  reponsible  for  some  forms.  Later,  the  vase 
shapes  are  more  definitely  established  and  modified  to  suit  the  rather 
attenuated  forms  of  table  legs.  Italy  and  the  classic  ideals  were  the  sources. 
The  ball  and  ring  is  also  a  modification  of  the  classical.  So  long  as  turners 
felt  their  real  purpose  of  imitation  all  was  well.  A  turning  that  cannot 
be  explained  is  comparatively  uninteresting. 

I424I 


A  TRUMPET-TURNED  Lowboy.  Owner:  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown. 
The  name  of  trumpet  given  to  the  legs  of  this  piece  describes  them  with  ac- 
curacy, especially  as  they  are  at  the  tops,  without  the  cup,  or  inverted  bowl 
turnings  of  the  two  lowboys  that  follow.  The  double  arch  mold  dates  this 
specimen  a  little  later,  about  1700-20.  The  X  scroll  stretcher  is  very  simple. 
The  feet  here  are  smaller  than  any  others  we  have  seen.  Like  other  exam- 
ples, it  has  the  thumb-nail  molding.  Like  all,  except  the  first  shown,  on 
page  423,  it  has  the  walnut  veneer. 

The  legs  of  these  pieces  in  walnut,  are  very  often  of  other  woods.  Bass 
is  a  common  wood,  and  very  unsuitable,  as  it  is  weak,  and  this  six-leg  style 
is  always  weak  in  the  legs.  In  fact,  in  the  corresponding  highboys,  it  is 
seldom  that  one  or  two  legs  are  not  broken.  On  the  other  hand  the  scrolled 
stretcher  on  a  walnut  piece,  is  generally  walnut. 


I  425  1 


A  WALNUT  Cross-Stretcher  Lowboy.  With  the  single  arch  mold,  the 
date  would  be  1690-1710.  It  lacks,  as  is  often  the  case,  the  drops  on  the 
frame  rail.  A  very  large  finial  at  the  intersection  of  the  stretchers  does  its 
best  to  make  up  the  loss.   Owner:  the  author. 

The  trumpet-leg  is  here  capped  with  a  cup,  or  bell.  One  notes  the  bail 
handles.  Such  were  used,  somewhat,  at  a  period  as  early  as  this.  The 
lowboy  was  bought  not  far  from  Boston.  Eastern  New  England  was  very 
rich  in  such  pieces,  mostly  lost. 

One  should  measure  lowboys  and  highboys  carefully  a  few  times,  and 
thereafter  will  never  be  deceived.  On  reference  to  pages  72-86  it  will  be 
noted  the  highboys  are,  on  the  frame,  higher,  wider,  and  deeper  from  front 
to  back.  The  lowboy  here  is  29^-8  inches  high;  the  frame  is  18^2  by  31^^ 
inches;  and  the  top  is  2iMby  33^  inches.  The  cross  stretchers  where  used, 
are  clearly  to  afford  the  user  greater  convenience  for  the  feet. 


I426I 


A  WALNUT  Cross-Stretcher  Lowboy.  Owner:  Mr.  W.  of  Boston. 
Date:  1690-1700.  The  huge  middle  drop  is  a  striking  feature.  It  is  perhaps 
not  necessary  to  point  out  that  these  drops  represent  the  place  where  legs 
would  otherwise  have  been,  and  show  the  process  of  development.  In  this 
case  the  early  type  would  have  had  five,  not  six,  legs.  The  stretchers  here 
are  more  boldly  and  fully  shaped  than  others  we  have  seen.  They  are  very 
handsome. 

One  may  see  that  the  drops,  and  the  finial  on  the  cross-stretchers  are 
really  only  sections  of  legs  tapered  off. 

There  is  usually  present  the  thin  bent  lining  under  the  edge  of  the  frame 
rail,  and  forming  by  its  slight  projection,  a  bead.  This  piece  also  has  only 
one  drawer.  For  what  it  may  have  been  designed  one  hardly  knows,  as 
the  center  drop  prevents  sitting  at  it  as  a  dressing  table. 


I  427  1 


A  WALNUT  Lowboy,  with  Outside  Stretchers.  This  odd  specimen  re- 
sembles that  on  page  423  in  the  style  of  its  stretchers,  but  unlike  that,  it 
has  only  four  legs.  The  date,  with  single  arch  mold,  is  1690-1710.  The 
author  owns  it.  The  drops  are  not  original,  and  not  correct.  They  should 
be  larger  and  bear  more  resemblance  to  a  section  of  a  leg.  This  lowboy 
catches  the  light  in  a  way  to  exaggerate,  but  by  that  very  means  to  exhibit 
clearly  the  condition  of  the  veneer  on  most  lowboys.  It  is  hungry  for  oil 
and  shows  some  tendency  to  chip  off. 

Though  we  lament  the  passing  out  of  most  forms  of  17th  Century  fur- 
niture we  do  not  feel  the  same  way  regarding  the  flat  top  highboy.  In  this 
we  may  not  speak  for  any  considerable  body  of  collectors.  But  the  impres- 
sion of  fragility  which  these  pieces  convey,  and  their  veneer  rather  than  the 
solid  wood,  that  preceded  them,  are  not  as  satisfying.  Their  greater  ele- 
gance and  finer  finish  probably  appeal  to  a  great  number  of  persons. 


(428I 


miiiitiaasfi*s!ii,^mv>&rt^i^y 


A  WALNUT  Table,  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  This  rare  article 
shows  ball  turnings  with  variations  of  elongated  balls  and  a  ring  at  the 
center  of  the  stretchers.  The  frame  also  is  scrolled,  in  a  half-way  con- 
tour between  ogee  moldings  and  a  serrated  edge.  The  top  is  i}i^  by  23 •'4 
inches,  and  the  hight  25  inches.  The  molding  on  the  frame  rail  adds  to  its 
importance.  Though  the  feet  are  missing  the  bottom  stretchers  are  well 
up  above  the  floor.  Photographed  at  very  close  quarters  it  looks  large  and 
high,  as  compared  with  the  fact.     Date:  1680-1700. 


[429 


A  BEAUTIFUL  and  dainty  table  owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  The  turn- 
ings are  very  delicate.  Enough  of  the  balls  of  the  feet  remain  to  show 
their  beauty.  We  have  seldom  seen  so  much  legitimate  wear  on  stretchers — 
a  thing  of  much  charm.  The  simple  ogee  scrolling  of  the  frame,  especially 
on  the  end,  is  very  attractive.  The  turning  is  perfect  of  its  kind.  The  date 
is 1690-1710. 

The  frame  is  19  by  26  inches;  and  the  top  is  25  by  39  inches.  The  hight 
is  now  26^  inches,  which  originally  must  have  been  about  27  inches. 

It  is  articles  like  these  that  make  collecting  a  joy. 

As  to  the  use  of  such  tables,  they  were  admirable  for  writing  or  reading, 
if  one  placed  feet  on  the  rung,  and  one  did!  Possibly  also  such  a  table  might 
have  answered  in  a  tavern,  for  my  lady  to  sip  her — sweet  cider,  in  the 
parlor. 


I  430 


A  MAPLE  Table,  with  a  false  drawer.  The  property  of  Mr.  W.  of  Boston. 
The  hight  is  2^} 2  inches;  the  top  is  16  by  25  inches.  The  knob  is  original, 
but  the  table  never  had  a  drawer.  With  its  scrolled  frame  and  plain  stretch- 
ers the  little  table  boasts  no  one  remarkable  feature,  but  as  a  whole  it  is  very 
attractive  indeed,  being  quite  perfect,  and  in  the  wood  we  best  love.  Date: 
1690-1720. 

An  occasional  table  like  this  adds  much  in  the  way  of  charm.  It  seems 
easy  to  say  that.  But — find  another!  When  we  think  of  the  multitude 
that  have  gone  the  way  of  the  wood  pile,  and  think  of  the  glory  that  has 
departed,  we  wonder  why  we  degenerated. 


[43 1 


AN  Oval  Maple  Table,  owned  by  Mr.  W.  of  Boston,  measures  20^<  inches 
high,  to  which  to  get  the  original  hight  we  must  add  a  good  bit. 

The  oval  is  iS^:;  by  ly^i  inches.  Small  tables  are  more  often  in  this  form 
than  the  tavern  table.  The  table  on  the  next  page  varies  slightly  from  this — 
a  good  test  of  a  quick  eye  for  shape. 

One  may  see  on  this  table  the  usual  cleat  running  across  the  frame  to 
prevent  the  breaking  off  of  the  overhang.  These  cleats  are  let,  full  size, 
into  the  frame.  They  are  very  necessary  as  the  tops  are  thin,  generally 
of  pine,  and  easily  split  off. 

The  heavy  plain  stretchers  are  early.  Date:  1680-1710.  It  is  very  light 
and  a  joy  for  convenience. 


I432I 


V    J 


-SU 


AN  Oval  Maple  Table  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  of  Boston,  similar  to  but  a 
little  larger  than  that  on  the  previous  page,  the  scale  being  smaller.  The 
hight,  minus  the  feet,  as  it  stands,  is  21^  inches.  The  top  is  20  by  31 
inches.    Date:  1690-1720. 

On  the  right  is  a  little  table  which  one  might  say  was  a  joint  stool,  so  far 
as  size  is  concerned,  but  the  rather  slight  turnings  incline  us  to  count  it  a 
table.  It  has  slant  legs,  one  way,  like  joint  stools — and  tables!  It  is  19 
inches  high;  the  rectangular  top  is  12  by  18  inches,  just  right  for  a  joint 
stool.  A  pleasing  doubt  arises.  Let  us  call  it  both,  and  we  have,  as  the 
original  owners  had,  two  articles  in  one.  The  hight  is  not  objectionable  for 
a  stool,  as  at  one  period  chairs  ruled  higher  than  this.  Of  course  one  must 
add  balls  to  the  feet  to  get  the  first  hight,  and  then  we  have  a  table!  Date: 
I 690-1 720. 

We  have  in  the  three  pieces  shown  on  the  two  pages  open  before  us  a  re- 
markable series,  for  their  harmony,  and  the  strong  presumption  is  that  they 
were  made  to  go  together,  as  now. 


I  433  1 


A  LITTLE  Square  Stand 
of  oak,  with  chamfered  legs 
and  square  stretchers.  It 
came  from  the  Churchill 
family,  Newington,  Con- 
necticut. The  top  and 
drawer  are  of  pine,  and  the 
top  has  notched  car\dng  at 
the  ends  like  that  seen  on 
many  chests,  bible-boxes 
and  stand-feet.  It  is  in 
the  Wadsworth  Atheneum, 
Hartford,  and  is  owned  by 
Mr.  George  Dudley  Sey- 
mour.   Date:  1670-1700. 

We  usually  infer  in  the 
case  of  a  table  with  cham- 
fered rather  than  turned 
legs,  that  no  lathe  was 
available  for  the  workman. 

The  method  of  chamfering  therefore  was  used,  as  on  great  beams  in  house 

construction.     It  is  an  attractive  style,  but  required  more  labor  than  turn- 
ing.    Pieces  to  be  turned  were  never  sawed  first,  always  they  were  split. 
At  the  bottom  of  the  page  is  a  rare  table,  present  ownership  unknown, 

with    the    legs    slanting    in 

both  directions,  and  a  very  ^^■ 

well    scrolled    frame.      The 

feet  are  well  preserved.    The 

few  tables  of  this  sort  have 

for    the    most     part     plain 

stretchers     and    rectangular 

tops.      The    date    is    1700- 

1730.     The  noggin   on    the 

left   and   the   other    articles 

were   in  general  use  at  the 

date  named. 

These   tables  are   marked 

bya  wide  overhang  of  the  top. 

Lacking   that,  one  suspects 

that    something    is     wrong. 

Table  tops  are  the  continual 

bother   of   a   collector. 


[434 


A  SMALL  Octagon  Table,  in  the  author's  collection.  This  piece  was 
found  in  Plymouth.  The  piece  is  very  perfect  and  has  never  been  tam- 
pered with,  or  restored,  nor  does  it  require  it.  The  top  is  pine.  The  paint 
is  all  original.  The  points  of  merit  are  the  boldly  scrolled  skirt  and  the  fine 
condition  of  the  feet  and  the  unusual  shape  of  the  top.  There  is  much  satis- 
faction in  a  piece  of  furniture  which  may  be  left  wholly  as  found. 

Size:  Top,  2734  inches;  hight,  26I4  inches;  frame,  21I/2  inches  square. 
Date:  1680- 1700. 

I  435  1 


problematical,  but  in  the  i8th  Cen- 
tury the  shoe  base  of  tables  seems 
to  have  been  abandoned  almost 
wholly,   even  at  the  beginning. 


Pine  when  knotty  as  we  now  find 
most  of  it,  is  difficult  to  work.  But 
the  clear  pine  available  in  the  17th 
Century  was  a  delight.  Furthermore 
where  not  subject  to  wear,  it  is  far 
more  durable  than  oak.  Old  side 
wall  shingles  of  shaved  pine  never 
decay.  In  table  tops  however  it  lit- 
erally wore  out.  In  process  of  time 
our  fathers  learned  how  to  use  best 
the  woods  in  their  new  country.  For 
many  purposes  pine  is  the  best  wood 
in  the  world;  far  better  than  was 
available  in  England. 


A  SKETCH,  since  a  photograph 
was  not  available,  of  a  very  small 
table,  with  hinged  top  and  a  hutch 
under  it.  The  rudimentary  vase 
shape,  the  simple  shoe,  the  touch 
of  a  scroll  on  the  cleats,  all  sug- 
gest, with  the  heavy  fine  construc- 
tion, an  early  country-made  piece 
of  no  little  charm.  It  is  about 
two  feet  high.    Date:  1670-90. 

Below  is  what  we  will  name  an 
instep  table  from  the  odd  shape 
of  the  arched  shoe.  The  sides  are 
apparently  identical,  top  and  bot- 
tom. It  is  a  light,  quaint  little 
affair  in  pine.  Owner:  Mr.  Chaun- 
cey  C.  Nash.     Date:  1680-1700. 

In  the  construction  of  both 
these  little  trestles  the  uprights 
are  mortised  into  the  shoes.  The 
dating  of  such  pieces  is   frankly 


I436I 


THE  Porch  of  the  Iron  Works  House,  at  Saugus.  This  room  is  formed  by 
a  square  projection  in  the  center  of  the  side  of  the  house,  about  nine  feet 
wide,  and  the  result  is  much  to  be  commended  in  its  effect.  There  is  a 
probability,  however,  that  it  was  shut  off  from  the  stair  and  the  doors, 
which  open  on  either  hand,  by  a  partition,  on  the  house  Hne,  under  the 
main  girt.  There  was  no  need  of  that  partition,  as  neither  the  porch  nor 
the  stair  was  heated.  This  house,  no  longer  owned  by  the  author,  ought  to 
be,  and  may  be,  sometime  redeemed  as  one  of  the  finest  examples  of  its 
kind.  The  porch  is  a  restoration,  but  the  mortise  holes  in  sill  and  on  girt 
were  found,  also  the  slant  showing  how  the  covering  gable  had  been  cut  on 
the  roof  boards. 

Incidentally  the  porch  exhibits  a  perfect  setting  for  17th  Century  furni- 
ture, and  already  some  drawings  have  been  made  of  the  house,  with  the 
purpose  of  copying  it.  We  cannot  too  greatly  regret  that  no  early  collec- 
tion is  yet  housed  in  a  sympathetic  setting. 


[437  1 


A  SPLAY-LEGGED  Drop-leaf  Table,  in  the  former  Nutting  Collection. 
This  piece,  although  it  has  lost  somewhat  from  the  feet,  is  a  stocky,  quaint, 
very  early  specimen.  It  differs  from  the  usual  splay-leg  table  in  this,  that 
the  legs  spread  both  laterally  and  longitudinally.  The  scrolling  of  the 
wide  skirt  is  another  interesting  feature.  It  extends  around  the  ends  as 
well  as  at  the  sides.  The  top  is  altogether  original  and  the  leaves  are  at- 
tached by  hinges  riveted  through,  an  early  and  a  very  substantial  method. 
The  maple  top  has  acquired  the  beautiful  bleached  effect  so  much  sought  for 
in  the  quaintest  and  earliest  tables.  While  smaller  tables  are  often  made 
in  this  style  they  are  extremely  rare  with  leaves.  It  will  be  noted  that  the 
leaves  are  narrow  so  that,  contrary  to  the  rule,  the  top  is  longer  following 
the  grain  than  across  it. 

The  overhang  is  very  marked  and  it  is  possible  to  sit  up  to  the  table  with- 
out any  interference  of  the  legs. 

Tables  having  stocky  legs  are  considered  more  desirable,  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Century  styles,  as  a  sturdy  character  is  consonant  with  the  period. 
The  table  was  made  without  a  drawer. 

Size:  44  by  52  inches,  the  long  dimension  being  with  the  grain.  Date: 
I 670- I 690 


I  438  I 


A  THREE-LEGGED  Table,  with  a  one  piece  top,  in  the  author's  former 
collection.  These  tables  are  sometimes  made  with  three  drop  leaves,  and 
sometimes  with  solid  one  piece  tops.  This  piece  is  all  original.  In  most 
cases  the  feet  have  to  be  restored.  The  advantage  of  raking  the  leg  was 
found  in  increased  stability.  Three-cornered  tables  are  rare,  especially  in 
the  Pilgrim  century.  All  that  the  author  has  seen  have  plain  stretchers. 
The  tables  vary  from  medium  to  small  sizes,  this  piece  being  two  and  a  half 
feet  across,  a  very  large  size  for  the  type. 

Date:  1690-1710. 


[439I 


AN  Oak  Triangular 
Table  owned  by  Mr. 
Chauncey  C.  Nash.  It 
is  25  inches  high  and 
28^  inches  across  its 
round  top.  Date:  1690- 
1710. 

Below  is  a  triangular 
table,  in  the  Metropoli- 
tan Museum,  already 
published,  which  has 
three  drop  leaves  oper- 
ated by  swinging  the  top 
on  a  swivel  of  wood, 
when  all  three  leaves 
drop.     Date:  1690-1710. 

A  drop  leaf  triangular 
table  has  been  seen,  the 
top  of  which  did  not  turn. 
The  leaves  were  held  up 


by  slides,  pulled  out  from  the 
frame,  just  under  the  top. 

Other  things  being  equal,  the 
slant  leg  three-cornered  table  is 
regarded  better  than  the  vertical 
leg. 

The  three-cornered  table  was 
so  made  for  decorative  reasons 
only,  as  the  cabinet  work  was 
more  difficult  than  in  the  usual 
form.  Such  tables  have  no 
drawers.  The  lower  table  here 
is  very  rare  in  having  two  ball 
turnings  below  the  bottom  rails, 
rather  than  the  usual  pear 
turning,  corresponding  with 
vase  above. 


[440I 


A  BEAUTIFUL  and  rare  table  belonging  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  Except 
for  the  loss  of  its  feet  it  is  in  fine  condition,  and  one  of  the  most  interesting 
pieces  so  far  found,  of  the  sort.  The  turnings  are  bold,  with  outside  stretch- 
ers. The  scrolls  on  the  frame  are  different  on  the  sides  and  the  ends,  but 
in  both  cases  very  good.  Not  once  in  a  blue  moon  is  such  an  article  found. 
With  so  narrow  a  frame  so  deeply  scrolled  there  could  not  be  a  drawer. 

Such  pieces  were  of  course  made  for  the  "best  rooms"  and  we  suspect 
not  a  few,  with  drawers,  were  dressing  tables.  Sometimes  they  were  con- 
venient as  sewing  tables.  And  when  a  table  goes  by  no  other  name  "occa- 
sional" table  will  do.  For  use  out  of  doors  they  were  very  convenient,  for 
our  fathers  lived  out  of  doors  more  than  we  do. 

The  date  is  around  1700.  This  turning  was  used  for  some  little  time 
before  and  for  many  years  after  that  date. 


I  441  1 


439    it    is   much  smaller   and  lighter, 
candle  stick,  to  hang  or  carry,  and  a 
sand  glass  rest  on  it. 

A  feature  of  maple,  of  value  to  the 
turner,  was  its  susceptibility  to  a 
smooth  finish.  As  it  comes  from  the 
tool,  without  polishing,  it  has  a  de- 
lightful smoothness  as  if  rubbed.  Oak 
on  the  other  hand  is  rough.  Birch  and 
beech  also  turn  smoothly,  the  latter 
being  remarkable  in  that  respect.  Pine 
turnings  were  little  used,  as  being 
weak.  Hickory  was  smooth,  but  ash 
became  rough.  Yet  ash  was  popular 
because  it  split  in  a  smooth,  straight 
line,  and  was  thus  quickly  and  with 
little  effort  prepared  for  the  turner. 
As  soon  as  saw-mills  become  numerous, 
we  note  the  disappearance  of  ash  from 
turnings,  as  maple  was  better. 


A 


A  SMALL  Stand,  beauti- 
fully turned.  The  present 
owner  is  unknown.  The  top 
is  not  original,  and  may  be 
three  inches  too  small.  There 
is  a  resemblance  in  the  turn- 
ing between  this  and  that 
on  the  previous  page,  with 
the  preference  perhaps  in 
favor  of  that  table.  A  good 
feature  of  this  table  is  the 
bracket  effect  on  the  frame 
secured  by  merely  cutting 
away.  This  stand  is  exactly 
square,  and  the  top  is  a  cir- 
cle.  Date:  1690-1710. 

Below  is  a  triangular  stand 
of  small  diameter,  owned  by 
Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.     Com- 
paring it  with  that  on  page 
good   Betty   lamp,  a  very  odd 


[442 


TWO  small  stands  owned  by 
Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  The  upper 
one  of  maple,  is  23><  inches  high, 
and  has  an  oval  top  17  by  23^ 
inches  in  diameter.  It  is  dainty 
in  its  turnings,  in  beautiful  con- 
dition and  has  plain  stretchers. 
Date:  about  1700.  The  stand 
below  is  only  21  inches  high,  and 
the  top  is  I4>^  by  15  inches.  It 
has  a  drawer.  The  all  turned 
frame  is  very  attractive.  We  are 
surprised  at  the  smallness  of  the 
top,  and  at  its  being  square.  This 
is  the  smallest  well-turned  stand 
the  author  has  seen,  containing  a 
drawer.  Date:  1690-1710.  These 
tables,  with  those  on  page  432 
and  433  are  a  rare  conjunction 
under  one  roof. 


One  readily  infers  that  the  scarcity 
of  little  stands  like  these  arises  from 
the  fact  that  a  simpler  construction, 
with  a  single  center  shaft  was  usually 
adopted.  In  that  style  two  pieces 
or  at  most  three,  took  the  place  of 
the  eight  turned  members  appearing 
here.  Stability  and  beauty  are  found 
in  greater  degree  in  the  articles  here. 
The  use  of  the  lower  piece  was  per- 
haps as  a  work  stand,  with  a  candle. 
Candles  were  placed  on  lower  levels 
than  our  lamps,  in  order  to  be  very 
near  one's  work.  Such  pieces  were 
also  convenient  at  the  bedside,  or 
for  temporary  out-of-door  use.  Thus 
the  "cobbler's"  light  was  devised 
to  bring  it  almost  in  contact  with 
his  work.  To  the  introduction  of 
better  lights  inthe  "kerosene  period" 
we  owe  the  destruction  of  stands. 

I  443  1 


AN  Oval  Stand,  with  legs  slanting  in  all  directions.  It  is  of  maple,  and 
belongs  to  Mr.  W.  of  Boston.  The  hight  is  21^8  inches;  and  the  diameter  of 
the  top  is  iS;''^^  by  25^4  inches.     Date:  1700  or  thereabouts. 

The  all-slant  leg  stands  have  been  called  common.  It  is  very  seldom  one 
is  seen.  We  know  of  a  dozen  or  so  in  different  sizes.  Of  what  size  a  piece 
must  be  to  be  counted  a  stand  rather  than  a  table  is  largely  as  one  pleases, 
on  the  dividing  line  between  16  by  21  and  20  by  26  or  something  of  that  area. 
Below  the  smaller  size  one  should  not  doubt  that  the  piece  was  a  stand,  that 
is,  made  to  sustain  a  candle  or  other  small  object  rather  than  for  general  use. 


The  preference  of  the  early  cabinet-makers  was  for  square  rather  than 
turned  stretchers,  because  they  secured  greater  solidity  with  the  square 
stretcher.  The  turning  of  the  stretcher  was  purely  for  ornamental  reasons. 
One  should  not  therefore  look  for  something  better  than  a  square  stret- 
cher.    It  is  found  on  the  earliest  and  best  furniture. 

I444] 


ON  the  right  a  stand, 
with  a  frame  12^  by 
151^  inches;  a  top  2i>^ 
by  24  inches;  and  a  hight 
of  23 >2  inches.  Period  of 
1680-1700.  The  top  is 
oval.  It  is  all  original. 
Owner:  the  author. 

At  the  bottom  is  a 
small  table  with  a  band- 
box of  wood.  The  name 
was  acquired  through  the 
use  of  such  boxes  for 
starched  bands  before 
their  use  for  bonnets  and 
hats  came  in.  The  cover 
snaps  on  with  a  wooden 
spring.  The  table  is  pret- 
tily turned,  and  is  all 
original.  It  is  the  prop- 
erty   of  the    author.      The  fraime 


is  14/4  by  20>4  inches.  The  top  is 
18  by  27  inches;  and  the  hight, 
24  inches.     Date:  about  1700. 

The  literature  of  band  boxes 
comes  under  a  later  period,  but  it 
may  answer  some  question  to  say 
that  the  quaint  paper  on  band 
boxes  was  put  on  them  to  match 
the  rooms  in  which  they  were  kept 
for  guests.  Thus,  whenever  the 
room  was  repapered  the  band-box 
had  another  layer  added,  and  was 
thus  kept  fresh.  A  box  like  that 
here  shown  was  for  transportation 
with  its  handle,  and  so  made  of 
wood.  The  leather  hat  box  was 
not  so  early. 

The  name  trunk  early  appears  in 
inventories.  It  is  therefore  not 
an  Americanism,  but  an  English 
survival. 


[445 


in  the  early  days.  There  was  much  movi 
a  new  country,  and  the  desire  to  talce  up  1 
in  such  cases  auctions  were  frequent.  So 
district  remained  there  unless  it  could  go  by 

Below  is  a  stand  with  a  large 
pewter  pitcher.  They  are  the  prop- 
erty of  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  It  is 
small  in  the  frame,  but  like  most 
small  tables  of  the  period  has  a  long 
overhang.     Date:     About  1700. 

Curiously  the  name  stand  does  not 
appear  in  the  early  inventories. 
Table  was  made  to  do  service  for 
stand.  We  find  standard  very  rarely, 
but  its  meaning  is  somewhat  doubt- 
ful. We  fail  in  the  published 
inventories  of  this  time  to  find  even 
a  wash-stand.  And  it  is  always  a 
candlestick,  never  a  candle  stand. 

A  discussion  as  to  what  was  used 
for  a  wash-stand  cannot  be  dismissed 
by  the  flippancy,  "they  did  not 
wash."     Small  tables  were  used. 


A  SCALLOPED  Frame 
Table  belonging  to  Mr. 
Geo.  F.  Ives.  The  top 
is  24  by  31  inches.  It 
is  27  inches  high.  The 
idea  of  the  wide  frame 
rail,  against  the  legs,  is 
to  secure  great  rigidity. 
The  effect  is  good.  The 
turnings  are  odd.  Com- 
pare this  table  with  that 
on  page  444.  The  date 
is  about  1690-1700. 

The   distinctiveness  of 

local  types   of  furniture 

arises  from  the  difficulties 

attending  transportation 

ng,  owing  to  the  unrest  felt  in 

and  in  quarters  beyond.      But 

that  which  was  made  in  one 

stream. 


[446] 


A  SMALL  Stand  which  passed  through  the  hands  of  Mr.  Henry  V. 
Weil  of  New  York  City.  The  feature  of  special  attraction,  of  course,  is 
the  turned  cross  stretchers,  combined  with  the  raked  leg.  We  ask  our- 
selves in  wonder  why  pieces  of  this  sort  which  are  so  captivating  were  not 
oftener  constructed.  We  must,  with  humility,  conclude  that  our  race  is 
not  marked  by  prevailing  good  taste.  Let  us  at  least  seek  in  furniture  for 
that  which  possesses  some  charm  aside  from  the  purely  utilitarian  aspect. 
It  was  very  convenient  to  draw  between  the  knees. 


I447I 


A  SMALL  High-stretcher  Trestle  Table,  the  property  of  the  author. 
The  top  is  pine  and  the  rest  maple.  The  features  of  special  attraction  are 
first  the  trestle  form  and  second  the  high  turned  stretcher.  This  piece  is 
altogether  original  and  unrestored.  It  was  found  in  Connecticut.  The 
chamfered  shoe  appears  as  in  the  rare  great  trestle  tables.  The  convenience 
of  such  tables  is  apparent,  as  they  can  be  drawn  very  close  to  the  sitter,  and 
were  available  as  tap  room  tables,  light  stands,  or  for  any  purpose  where  a 
light  removable  piece  was  desired.  The  use  of  a  foot  or  shoe  of  this  char- 
acter seems  to  have  gone  out  completely  about  1700.  A  curious  feature  of 
construction  is  that  the  cleat  is  almost  precisely  of  the  same  contour  and 
size  as  that  of  the  shoe  so  that  we  really  have  a  double  T,  braced  together 
and  surmounted  by  a  board. 

Size:  Top,  one  piece,  30  by  i8>^  inches.  The  shoes  are  15J2  inches  long. 
The  hight  is  2sJ4  inches.     Date:  1650-1680. 


[448] 


fAn-isMimm^,. 


..jsasfisfiu-^-.U 


A  SMALL  Trestle  Table  owned  by  Mrs.  Anna  H.  Howard  of  Whitman, 
Massachusetts.  Comparing  it  with  that  on  the  previous  page  we  see  this 
has  two  turned  trusses,  while  that  has  one,  but  that  has  a  high  truss.  This 
has  an  oval  top,  that  a  rectangular  top.  They  are  great  rarities.  Date: 
I 660- I 680. 

A  peculiarity  here  is  that  the  shoes  are  wider  than  the  posts.  These 
tables  belong  with  the  trestles  and  boards,  but  date  a  little  later. 


I  449 


THE  Parlor  in  the  John  Alden  house,  Duxbury.  The  picture  was 
made  in  1921.  It  is  understood  that  wherever  paneHng  appears  in  a  17th 
Century  house  it  represents  an  addition  to  the  original  finish.  The  paneling 
here  may  have  been  added  around  1720-30.  It  is  quite  unusual  for  an 
arch  to  show  on  a  colonial  fireplace.  This  instance  therefore  is  full  of 
interest.  The  author  remembers  generalizing  on  one  occasion,  with  the 
statement  that  the  fireplaces  of  the  early  American  house  had  a  flat  top. 
Here  is  the  low  arch!  The  spinning  jenny  at  which  Priscilla  is  always 
drawn  by  artists  is  shown  here  awaiting  her.  Also  the  candle  stand,  on 
the  floor.  It  is  of  tin,  at  the  base,  a  simple  and  good  sort  which  is  else- 
where shown  in  other  shapes  in  this  book. 

The  effect  here  of  the  five  small  panels  above  the  large  fireplace  panel 
is  very  good.  The  corner  cupboard  was  originally,  of  course,  without  a 
door  above,  and  was  oval  at  the  top. 

This  house  is  owned  by  an  association  of  the  Alden  family,  and  is  thus, 
if  it  escapes  fire,  destined  to  become  a  shrine  of  the  highest  interest  to 
Americans.  In  process  of  time,  we  may  look  for  restorations  to  be  made 
in  the  house,  at  least  in  the  kitchen,  though  the  paneling  in  some  of  the 
other  rooms  might  well  remain.  No  other  spot  except  Plymouth  Rock 
has  so  many  fine  associations  connected  with  it. 


[450] 


THE  subject  of  little  stands,  and  candle  stands  proper,  has  never 
received  much  treatment,  and  we  therefore  have  laid  special  stress  on 
placing  them  before  the  reader  in  some  profusion. 

On  the  left  is  a  little  trestle  stand  belonging  to  Mr.  Chauncey  C.  Nash. 
It  much  resembles  the  larger  stands  on  pages  448  and  449.  It  will  be 
noted  that  in  the  true  trestle  styles  the  shoe  and  the  cleat  above,  whether 
or  not  attached  to  the  table,  are  similar,  so  that  the  effect  is  that  of  a  capital 
I  with  the  horizontals  much  extended  and  chamfered  nearly  to  a  point. 
Date:  1660  or  thereabout. 

The  other  stand  has  a  movable  rod  in  a  socket,  with  a  wooden  thumb 
nut  to  secure  it.  The  minute  feet,  mere  pins,  are  droll.  Littie  adjustable 
stands  are  often  called  shoemaker's.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  date  this 
piece  accurately.  We  may  say  1700-30.  It  passed  through  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Henry  V.  Weil  who  furnished  the  photograph.  In  its  turnings  and 
general  contour  its  like  is  hardly  known. 


[451 


TWO  Candle  Stands  of  which  the  left  hand  one  is  maple.  Its  heavy 
construction  and  general  lines  make  it  desirable.  The  cross-base  is  very 
good.  It  is  maple.  The  hight  is  26>^  inches.  The  diameter  of  the  top 
is  12  inches.     Date:  1670-1700. 

The  right  hand  stand  is  of  walnut.  The  hight  is  25^^  inches,  and  the 
round  top  is  12  inches.  The  foot  is  neatly  molded.  The  post  is  set  on  the 
base  quartering,  and  is  fluted  part  way  up,  showing  the  influence  of  the 
architecture  of  1720-60.     The  date  may  be  1710-30. 

The  feet  of  this  piece  have  worn  down  somewhat,  so  that  it  may  be  said 
to  be  suffering  from  fallen,  arches;  but  the  other  pieces  were  created  flat 
footed.     They  are  both  the  property  of  the  author. 

The  need  of  candle  stands  in  the  old  days  was  imperative,  as  one 
reading  required  the  feeble  light  directly  beside  his  text.  We  remember 
seeing  old  people  read,  holding  candles  in  their  hands. 


I  452  1 


[453] 


A  PAINTED  wall  and  stair  in  the  hall  of  the  Warner  Mansion  at  Ports- 
mouth. This  picture  is  inserted  here  to  suggest  the  relation  between  decora- 
tive furniture  and  painted  walls.  The  construction  began  on  the  Warner 
House  about  171 2,  it  being  perhaps  the  earliest  example  of  a  gambrel-roof 
in  this  country.  The  wall  decoration  is  fairly  well  drawn,  but  without  the 
slightest  reference  to  perspective.  It  is  carried  from  the  base  of  the  stair 
to  the  second  story,  spreading  out  in  the  well  room  above  the  landing  to  a 
wide  extent.  What  we  see  here  is  a  dog  protecting  a  child  from  the  attack 
of  an  eagle  or  vulture;  behind  is  seen  the  mother  of  the  child  at  a  spinning 
jenny.  The  photograph  appears  indistinct,  but  the  fact  is  that  the  painting 
itself  is  so  injured  by  time  that  a  better  effect  is  perhaps  not  possible. 
Various  figures  of  persons  and  animals  appear  on  the  landing. 

The  furniture  of  this  house  is  to  a  considerable  extent  of  the  period  of  its 
erection,  or  only  a  little  later. 

The  painted  wall  came  in  as  a  substitute  for  panel  work,  just  as  a  little 
later  wall  paper  served  the  same  purpose.  The  panel  was  retained  in  the 
form  of  a  dado  only  to  a  bight  necessary  to  protect  the  plaster 


I  454  1 


I 


THE  Latch-string  is  out.  We  are  "at  home." 
When  we  wish  to  be  private  we  pull  it  in.  The 
courteous  understand. 

The  latch  is  all  of  wood,  and  will  outlast  an  iron 
one.  Let  us  go  in  and  see  some  of  the  details  of  17th 
Century  work.  The  edge  of  the  drawer  shows  the 
construction  of  the  period  1640,  with  the  great  nails 
and  the  beginning  of  the  groove  on  which  the  drawer 
runs. 

The  other  drawer  edge  shows  the  early  style  of  dove- 
tail.    The   other  end    of    the  drawer   was   sometimes 
dovetailed  and  sometimes  nailed.     The  bottom  of  the 
drawer  was  set  in  as  a  panel  at  a  later  period.    Before 
1700  it  was  usually  entered  in  a  groove  of  the  drawer 
front,  but  on  all  other  sides  was  nailed.     In  the  vast 
majority    of    instances     these     interior    construction 
pieces  were  of  pine.     Sometimes,  very  early,  the  sides 
of  the  drawer  were  oak. 
The  right   hand   example    has   an  oak    side  and  a  pine  bottom.     It  is 
from  a  court   cupboard  of  1650.    The  other  example  is  from  a   chest   of 
drawers  of  1700. 


455 


!SPJ^'.'.-. :'  'iJ»ytt'."^Bfe:'A. 


A  CHAMBER  in  the  Nathan  Hale  birthplace  at  Coventry,  Connec- 
ticut. Mr.  George  Dudley  Seymour  has  at  much  pains  restored  this  fine 
old  house.  But  the  time  he  has  expended  on  it  is  still  more  valuable. 
The  picture  shows  an  oak  bed.  The  correctness  of  the  restored  feet,  the 
owner  states,  may  be  debated.  The  date  may  be  late  17th  or  early  i8th 
Century. 

There  are  in  this  picture  three  excellent  candle  stands,  each  a.  type 
of  a  class.  That  with  a  circular  base  has  three  ball  feet.  Hight  28  inches; 
diameter  of  top  16J4  inches.     Date:  about  1720-50. 

The  remote  stand  has  a  spider  base,  with  arched  oak  cross  members, 
supporting  a  maple  shaft,  mortised  to  receive  a  profiled  cleat  sustaining 
the  round  pine  top.  Hight,  27  inches;  diameter,  16  inches.  Date:  18th 
Century.  On  the  right  is  a  T-base  stand,  so  made  that  the  part  supporting 
the  shaft  is  between  the  feet  of  the  sitter,  who  placed  his  feet  on  the  other 
cross  member.  The  post  is  maple.  Hight,  25  inches;  diameter  of  top, 
17^4  inches.     Several  such  stands  are  known;  another  is  shown  in  this  work. 


I  456 


OF  all  Candle  Stands  this 
one,  which  has  only  one  or 
two  known  counter-parts,  is 
thought  most  desirable.  Its 
merit  consists  in  the  complete 
carrying  out  of  the  idea  of  a 
screw  post,  which  is  adapted 
also  to  the  small  wood  hand 
screws  under  the  candles,  in 
order  to  lift  them  as  they 
burn  down.  The  writer  who 
found  the  stand  in  old  Con- 
cord, does  not  know  the  pres- 
ent owner.  The  round  table 
screws  up  and  down  on  the 
post,  as  well  as  the  candle 
bar.  The  parts  are  all  maple; 
the  diameter  of  the  little  table 
being  about  14  inches.  The 
stand  has  never  been  painted, 
but  is  in  the  natural  maple. 
The  date  is  impossible  to  fix 
but  is  thought  to  reach  back 
to  the  17th  Century.  The 
table  has  a  slight  lip;  the  ends 
of  the  bar  have  small  turned 
knobs. 

The  metal  sockets  on  such 
early  stands  are  usually  of 
tin.  The  use  of  heavy  brass 
is  always  suspicious,  showing 
probable  restorations  from 
Russian  candles.  It  is  im- 
possible to  know  whether  tin 
candlesticks  are  early.  While 
these  adjustable  stands    were  '   • 

of  course    used    by    cobblers 

it  is  a  mistake  to  restrict  them  to  that  origin.  They  are 
use,  many  being  quite  ornamental.  They  were  reading 
The  best  homes  required  something  of  the  sort. 


too  good  for  that 
or  sewing  lights. 


[457] 


y>^^^m^  flfiBliy- 


ON  the  left  is  a  poor  relation,  owned  by  the  author,  of  the  stand  de- 
scribed on  the  previous  page.  A  considerable  number  have  been  found, 
and  they  are  prized,  having  both  bar  and  table.  The  right  hand  piece  is  a 
ratchet  candle-stand,  having  a  device  to  take  the  place  of  the  screw  in 
raising  and  lowering.  It  is  owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  These  pieces, 
and  similar  stands,  were  made  all  through  the  i8th  Century.  Some  of 
them  may  go  back  farther  than  that.  The  crudeness  of  some  of  them 
indicates  that  they  were  mere  work  stands,  for  cobbling,  or  any  close  work 
requiring  good  light.  A  toggle  arm  bracket  of  wood  attached  to  the  wall 
was  also  used.     It  was  made  like  the  modern  five-foot  sectional  rules. 


(458  1 


ON  the  left  is  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend's  stand  surmounted  by  a  Knicker- 
bocker or  Pennsylvania  carved  spoon  rack — a  good  decorative  piece,  with 
all  the  flavor  of  Dutch  love  for  decorating  simple  things. 

The  stand  on  the  right,  Mr.  G.  Winthrop  Brown's,  is  very  fine  in  its 
style.  The  heavy  shaft  with  its  huge  ball  at  the  base  and  the  well-turned 
legs  are  notably  good.  A  well-decorated  pipe  box  and  a  Betty  lamp,  on  a 
standard,  are  on  the  top.     This  is  a  rare  form  of  the  lamp. 


[459] 


A  QUAINT  Stand  has  its  cross-bar 
raised  and  lowered  by  inserting  a  peg  in 
holes  at  intervals  on  the  pole.  The  third 
light,  on  the  top  of  the  pole,  was  the  one, 
probably,  left  burning  w^hen  a  member  of 
the  family  was  out  late!  The  other  two 
stands  are  very  simple.  On  the  left  hand 
stand  we  see  a  wedge  inserted  in  a  hole  of 
the  bar  beside  the  post,  to  keep  the  bar 
in  place.  Others  similar  are  known.  The 
other  stand  which  has  a  square,  rather 
than  a  turned,  shaft,  on  good  feet,  holds 
up  candles  caught  on  its  bar  by  the 
handles  of  the  candle  sticks  themselves. 
Originally  a  better  balance  must  have  been 
devised,  as  the  candles  tip  too  much. 

There  are  other  endless  varieties  of 
little  stands.  It  was  necessary,  on  oc- 
casions of  importance,  to  supply  something 
like  a  hundred  candles  in  a  sizable  house. 
One  may  imagine  a  corresponding  variety 

of  stands.  One  servant  was  deputed  to  go  about  snuffing  the  candles. 
In  summer  without  screens  the  insects  must  have  been  almost  intoler- 
able.    But  nothing  is  said  of  what  everybody  bore  as  a  necessary  evil. 

Since  the  author  began  to  write  this  work  the  interest  in 
i  candle  stands  has  led  to  some  remarkable  achievements  on 

I  the  part  of  the  unscruplulous.    Some  stands,  on  examination, 

I  prove   to  be    made   by   inserting  spinning  wheel  legs  in  an 

»    j    8  adapted  bed  post  !    The  mortise  holes  should  be  looked  for 

^jf^^^  as  they  can  be  seen  easily,  though  carefully  filled.  Again, 
stands  are  sometimes  "improved"  by  new  tops,  new  legs 
and  new  candle  sticks  until  their  original  makers  would 
remark,  as  a  widow  did  of  a  portrait  of  her  husband,  painted 
from  memory:  "That's  he;  but  how  the  old  man  has 
changed  !" 

Of  course  the  question  often   arises    what  is  allowable  in 

restoration.      But  the  question  ought  to  be   speedily  settled 

I  in  the  case  of  unimportant  pieces  that  are  half  gone.     The 

I  author  recently  saw  in  a  single  shop,  a  half  dozen  all-new 

JBm^         candle  stands,  all  masquerading  as  old. 


I4601 


MR.  HENRY  V.  WEIL  furnishes  the  picture  of  the  left  hand  stand,  an 
amusing  instance  of  soHdity.  The  maker,  Hke  the  maker  of  the  one-hoss 
shay,  determined  to  build  one  that  couldn't  be  knocked  over.  It  has  an 
octagon  top.  The  ends  of  the  feet  are  notch  carved  on  three  sides.  Date: 
I 680- I 700. 

The  other  stand,  belonging  to  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend,  is  a  notably  sturdy 
specimen,  with  notch  carved  toes,  chamfered  square  post,  and  large  round 
top.  There  is  sufficient  weight  to  permit  a  top  larger  than  usual.  We 
incline  to  date  this  stand  inside  the  17th  Century. 

In  the  construction  of  these  stands  the  tapered  cleat  at  the  top,  on  the 
better  specimens,  is  connected  with  the  post  by  mortise  and  tenon.  The 
cross  base  is  halved  together.  The  top  is  nailed  from  below  through  the 
cleat.  We  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  stands  of  wood  were  much  more 
numerous  than  the  iron  stands.  The  convenience  of  changing  a  candle- 
stick from  a  stand  to  a  table  was  no  small  item. 


[461] 


THE  Parlor  at  the  Nathan  Hale  Birthplace,  owned  by  Mr.  George 
Dudley  Seymour.  In  the  foreground  on  the  left  is  an  original  rocker.  The 
rockers  are  of  oak.  The  posts  are  shown  turned  with  a  taper  proving  they 
were  designed  to  dowel  into  rockers.  The  profile  of  the  fine  arms  does  not 
show.  The  hight  is  45  inches.  The  origin  was  Willimantic.  Date:  about 
1700-20. 

The  pair  of  spindle-backed  mushroom  foot  side  chairs  are  maple  with 
hickory  spindles.  The  turnings  are  unusual  and  fine.  From  the  Capt. 
Charles  Churchill  House,  Newington.  The  chairs  may  be  called  transitional. 
Date:  1700-30. 

The  table  in  the  center  is  an  excellent  example  of  a  small  17th  Century 
turned  table  with  square  stretchers. 

This  room  has  a  narrow  door  in  the  paneling  at  the  left  of  the  fireplace, 
opening  through  a  closet  and  a  kind  of  secret  passage  to  the  so-called  "Judge- 
ment Hall"  or  room  at  the  rear.     The  passage  is  called  the  fat  man's 
misery,  but  a  recent  very  large  President  of  the  United  States  got  through, 
though  minus  certain  garments. 

The  table  on  the  remote  left,  with  scrolled  edges,  is  a  little  late  for  this 
work,  but  was  a  worthy  specimen  of  its  time. 


I  462 


t?i£V>titJMfc«^^tiriX3fe)M«ai,S^«#^fiS^:     71 


ON  the  left  is  a  ratchet  candle  stand,  date  around  1700,  and  a  Betty  lamp, 
on  a  piece  of  Virginia  pottery.  They  are  owned  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving. 
The  feature  noticeable  about  many  candle  stands,  as  here,  is  their  huge 
bases,  to  avoid  the  danger  of  oversetting  them.  The  Betty  lamp  shows 
plainly  the  spike  and  hook.  The  Betty  lamp  standard  is  of  red  clay  with  a 
coarse  black  glaze,  and  is  from  the  old  pottery  formerly  at  Morgantown, 
W.  Va.  It  is  similar  in  texture  to  the  folk  pottery  of  New  England  and 
Pennsylvania  and  is  of  early  19th  Century  date. 

The  candle  stand  on  the  right  belonged  to  Mr.  Henry  V.  Weil.  It  is 
odd  in  having  a  mere  shaft  on  top  of  which  the  candle  was  fixed.  The 
simple  stick  leg  device,  which  preceded  the  Windsor  chair  type,  was  used 
not  a  little  in  very  early  stools  and  other  small  pieces  as  long  ago  as  the  17th 
Century.    It  seems  to  be  dateless,  continuing  to  be  made  in  this  form  now. 

A  certain  largeness  of  view  must  be  maintained  regarding  dates,  and 
regarding  uniqueness.  We  wish  to  go  on  clear  record  here  as  giving  dates 
only  on  the  opinion  of  the  best  judges.  "Sports"  in  furniture,  born  out  of 
due  time,  are  known.  And  a  thing  that  is  unique  today  may  not  be  to- 
morrow. 


I  463] 


A  WEDGE-BAR  Candle  Stand  on  the  left  belongs  to  Mr.  HoUis  French. 
The  base  is  more  strongly  arched  than  usual.  Date:  about  1700-10.  The 
middle  stand  belongs  to  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  It  is  adjustable;  the  lower 
part  of  the  post  being  hollow.  The  right  hand  stand,  with  the  same  owner, 
presents  the  oddity  of  three  bars  on  any  of  which  a  candlestick  can  be 
hooked  to  change  its  elevation.  These  two  pieces  may  date  any  time  in 
the  1 8th  Century. 

There  ought  to  be  some  systematic  effort  under  responsible  persons,  to 
bring  to  light  the  remaining  17th  Century  furniture.  At  present  intrusive 
and  often  uninformed  persons  press  their  way  into  residences  remote  from 
the  great  cities.     The  householder  is  suspicious  and  often  has  a  right  to  be  so. 

If  some  of  our  reputable  societies  could  father  a  scheme  to  make  a 
careful  census,  by  accredited  agents,  of  all  our  older  settlements,  no  doubt 
a  hearty  response  would  await  inquiries  now  rebuffed.  A  photographic 
record  could  be  made  and  a  fair  valuation  given  if  desired  to  prevent  subse- 
quent exploiting  by  the  unscrupulous. 


I464I 


A  FINELY  Turned  Stand  here 
shown,  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Geo. 
F.  Ives.  It  properly  has  not  a 
whirhng  table,  as  the  screw  is  cut 
too  high  to  serve  for  that  purpose. 

The  turnings  are  very  good.  The 
feet  have  an  extreme  and  humor- 
ous spread,  so  that  they  are  nearly 
horizontal.   Date:  about  1680-1700. 

Among  the  societies  which  have 
interested  themselves  particularly 
in  very  early  furniture,  the  Wal- 
pole  Society,  a  small  social  or- 
ganization of  collectors,  which  has 
also  published  valuable  literature, 
may  be  mentioned.  The  Society 
for  the  Preservation  of  New  Eng- 
land Antiquities  more  particularly 
directs  its  attention  to  old  houses. 
It  is,  however,  gradually  acquiring 
some  early  furniture  by  gift. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum, 
through  acquiring  the  Bolles  Col- 
lection, stands  at  the  head  in  the 
number  of  its  important  pieces. 
The  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design 
is  slowly  acquiring  such  furniture 
to  supplement  its  wonderful  Pen- 
dleton collection  of  mahogany. 

Collectors  are  humanly  sensitive 
regarding  their  gatherings.  One 
must  therefore  tread  warily,  es- 
pecially in  New  England,  among 
private  collections,  if  one  wishes  to  live  there.  There  are,  it  is  true,  some 
collectors  too  proud  to  show  pride.  Their  generous  enthusiasm  is  hidden 
behind  the  New  England  reticence.  We  must  take  it  for  granted  that 
rare  judgment  is  not  found  among  the  boastful. 


m      ^ 


1 465 


ON  the  right  is  a  Pair  of  Rare  Candlestands,  which  were  evidently  made 
to  go  together,  as  the  turnings  strongly  resemble  one  another.  The  lower 
piece  shows  the  desirable  type  of  a  heavy  shaft  into  which  turned  legs  are 
inset  at  an  angle  giving  sufficiently  broad  base.  These  pieces  are  the 
property  of  George  F.  Ives,  who  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  their  possession 
since  they  are  perhaps  unique  taken  together. 

On  the  left  is  a  fine  example  of  a  wooden  candlestand,  the  property  of  Mr. 
Ives.  It  is  peculiar  in  that  the  small  table  is  not  fitted  with  a  screw  to  rise 
and  fall,  but  sets  upon  a  shoulder  formed  by  the  turning.  The  finial  of  this 
piece  is  in  brass.     Date  of  all  three  stands:  about  1690-1720. 

[466] 


'HiiHIII    aliii   III. 


FOUR  Candle  Stands  belonging  to  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend.  Similar  types 
have  already  been  shown,  except  the  second  stand,  which  with  a  large 
saucer  shaped  hub,  exhibits  some  differences.  The  pieces  date  from  1690 
to  1730. 

The  fine  but  small  collection  of  17th  Century  furniture  in  the  Concord 
Antiquarian  Society's  rooms  has  already  been  referred  to.  The  Essex 
Institute  of  Salem  has  a  few  important  pieces,  but  their  wonderful  costumes 
are  their  chief  asset.  The  Brooklyn  Public  Museum  possesses  a  considerable 
collection. 

The  Worcester  Antiquarian  Society  collects  only  that  furniture  which 
has  an  historical  flavor.  The  Wadsworth  Atheneum  and  its  allied  societies 
possess  or  have  on  loan  many  good  pieces.  The  Deerfield  Museum  has  a 
few  very  early  specimens.  Pilgrim  Hall  at  Plymouth  has  a  few  priceless 
relics. 

Unfortunately  the  local  historical  societies  are  often  warped  from  their 
higher  usefulness  by  the  social  feature  which  compels  them  to  accept  un- 
worthy furniture.  Gradually,  it  may  be  presumed,  they  will  adopt  rules 
by  which  nothing  late  can  be  accepted,  and  nothing  of  any  date  accepted 
without  being  passed  on  by  experts.  One  such  organization,  outside  of 
New  England,  has  been  sadly  hoaxed. 


(467I 


ltiii»-~^' 


A  PAIR  of  Candle  Stands  both  with  unusually  well  shaped  feet,  but 
otherwise  not  claiming  description  other  than  that  already  given.  Owner: 
the  author.     Date:  about  1690-1710. 

Private  collectors  in  America  have  within  the  past  twenty  or  thirty 
years  gathered  to  themselves  the  most  of  the  best  17th  Century  furniture. 
The  private  collector  has  the  advantage  of  all  necessary  authority  and 
enthusiasm  on  the  spot  where  a  particular  article  comes  to  public  attention. 
Since  each  collector  specializes  on,  or  at  least  best  loves,  certain  classes  of 
objects,  the  result  is  that  the  important  articles  are  gathered  and  classified. 
Thus,  leaving  out  of  account  all  mahogany  furniture,  there  is  more  than 
one  private  collection  more  important  than  any  public  collection  with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum. 

Up  to  the  present  time  no  great  museum  has  systematically  sought 
Americana  in  furniture. 


I468I 


) 


A  CANDLE  Stand  of  much  attractive- 
ness, and  out  of  the  ordinary  is  that  on 
the  right,  which  passed  through  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Henry  V.  Weil.  It  is  beautifully 
made. 

It  has  its  lower  and  its  upper  table. 
The  upper  table  stands  on  a  small  sliding 
standard,  which  is  held  at  any  desired 
point  by  a  wooden  pin  thrust  through  a 
hole  in  the  standard.  The  lower,  larger 
table  has  a  good  rim.  The  base  and  up- 
rights are  maple;  the  shelves  or  tops  are 
pine.     Date:  1700-1750. 

Below  are  three  simple  stands,  one  with 
a  perfectly  square  hardwood  chamfered 
base.  This  sort  was  in  most  common  use. 
The  wedge  adjustment  is  not  as  crude 
as  it  looks.  It  was  the  quickest,  most 
secure  device  of  all. 

The  burning  of  tallow  candles  was  at 
first  too  expensive.  The  bayberry  furn- 
ished a  wax  much  used,  and  now  revived 

by  lovers  of  the  quaint.  The  pine  knot 
was  the  commonest  original  light. 
The  influence  of  artificial  light  on  social 
habits  might  become  an  interesting 
J       1  JL  I  study. 

'^i^tl       '^^■■v  I  No  doubt  the  pilgrim  habit  of  rising 

with  the  sun  was  induced  by  an  early 

and  successful  efi^ort  at  daylight  saving. 

"Early    to   bed"    made    one    wealthy. 

"Burning   the   candle    at    both    ends" 

■  ■  passed    into    a     proverb.      One    who 

f  I  I  passed  through  the  tedious  process  of 

^HHL     jflHH^^  ^rfl^^^       making    candles,    as    the    author     did 

^^^^^  ^^^^^^^       when   a  boy,   was   not  likely  to  waste 

them.  A  thrifty  habit  was  supposed 
to  be  shown  by  careful  use  of  candles.  The  classic  story  is  that  of  a 
dying  man  who  on  seeing  two  candles  burning,  uttered  as  his  last  word, 
and  with  a  deeper  pathos  than  he  intended,  "One  candle  is  enough  to 
die  by." 


I469I 


AN  Octagon  Hub  Candle  Stand,  with  sturdy 
turned  legs.  In  this  specimen  the  candles  were 
stuck  directly  into  the  holes  in  the  candle  bar, 
without  tin  sockets,  and  were  held  in  place 
by  a  good  fit  only.  It  belongs  to  the  author, 
and  dates  about  1700. 

The  principal  occupation  of  the  early  home, 
aside  from  food  preparation,  was  the  manu- 
facture of  the  household  textiles,  none  of  which 
were  bought.  Wearing  apparel,  aside  from 
buckskin  and  fur,  was  exclusively  made  of 
wool  or  flax.  The  housewife  was  complete  mis- 
tress of  the  art  of  taking  raw  wool  or  flax  and 
carrying  each  through  every  process  until  the 
product  of  the  flock  or  the  field  appeared  in 
the  completed  garment.  The  flax  process 
consisted  in  ripening,  beating  and  hatcheling. 
The  wool  process  was  carding.  Then  each, 
carried  so  far,  must  be  spun  and  woven  or 
knitted.  This  process  occupied  in  many  cases 
more  than  half  of  the  waking  hours  of  a  house- 
wife. 

On  the  right   is 
a  tape  loom. 


The  art  ot  weaving  as  practiced  by  our  fore- 
mothers  was  carried  on  sometimes  in  a  special 
room,  as  a  full-sized  loom  occupied  a  large 
space.  The  parts  of  the  loom  were  very  heavy, 
traditionally,  to  prevent  vibration.  Hence  the 
Biblical  phrase,  "a  weaver's  beam"  as  a  simile 
for  great  size  and  strength.  The  bleaching 
was  done  as  now  in  Ireland,  by  exposing  the 
finished  linen  to  the  sun  and  rain  on  the 
grass.  The  dyes  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
manufacture  of  munitions.  Indigo  might  be 
imported  but  butternut  was  a  standard  for 
men's  wear,  and  various  vegetable  dyes  locally 
concocted  answered  for  all  other  shades. 


Will 

HI'      ' 

I' 


[470 


.  »i*«Li'ia=wa**AV  V ,  *. 


■4tii^*fi  .V.iM<i-i«i*fe^. 


owned  by  the  author.  There  is  one  in  the 
Stanton  House,  CHnton,  Connecticut,  and 
Mr.  H.  W.  Erving  of  Hartford,  also  has  one. 
The  construction  almost  suggests  the  shape 
of  the  chair  frame.  The  double  treadle,  of 
course,  added  greatly  to  the  convenience  of 
the  operator,  especially  if  she  were  not 
thoroughly  skilled.  A  feature  of  this  piece 
is  that  the  hand  screw  at  the  left  near  the 
top  of  the  post,  when  loosened,  permits  the 
head  to  be  swung  upward  and  inward  so  as 
to  be  out  of  the  way.  Incidentally  also, 
when  the  head  is  lowered  again  it  can  be 
set  at  any  degree  of  tautness,  a  great  con- 
venience, as  the  pulley  was  inclined  to 
stretch. 


THE  distaff  on  spin- 
ning jennies  varies  from 
the  staff  here  to  a  less 
elaborate  sort  as  seen 
in  the  piece  below.  This 
is  prettily  turned  and 
very  daintily  made.  This 
spinning  jenny  has  the 
well  wrought  wheel,  the 
spokes  of  which  are  neatly 
turned.  Such  wheels,  of 
course,  are  made  in  seg- 
ments and  are  turned 
with  beads,  and  in  some 
cases  are  very  decorative, 
especially  when  made  in 
parti-colors.  Owned  by 
the  author. 

Below  is  a  rare  form  of 
a  spinning  jenny,  with 
double    treadles.      It    is 


1471] 


THE  LADY  spinning  above  was  caught  in  the  act,  not  posed  for  the 
occasion.  She  is  using  the  ordinary  spinning  wheel  which  accomphshed  in 
wool  for  household  uses  the  purposes  of  the  spinning  jenny  for  flax.  The 
wool  wheel  was  used  up  to  a  later  period  than  the  flax  wheel.  The  spindle 
was  attached  in  leather;  a  turned  stick  called  a  "wheel  pin"  was  used  to 
avoid  the  blistering  of  the  fingers  in  turning  the  wheel.  The  lady  above 
stands  in  a  recessed  porch.  She  was  eighty-four  at  the  time  this  picture 
was  made  and  had  always  spun  for  herself  everything  needed  for  the  mit- 
tens and  socks  of  the  family. 

The  hand-spun  yarn  was  usually  rather  coarse  and  soft  and  made  warm 
material  when  knitted.  For  weaving  it  was  necessary  for  good  work  to  spin 
a  finer  yarn.  The  attics  of  the  country  still  hold  many  thousands  of  wheels 
like  that  above.  They  are  in  no  respect  desirable  in  modern  homes,  except 
to  fill  a  vacant  space,  which  certainly  they  are  amply  qualified  to  do  as  they 
are  large  and  awkward.  A  sharp  contrast  is  suggested  between  the  time  when 
all  such  work  was  done  by  hand  and  the  present  period  when  it  is  estimated 
that  one  firm  of  cotton  spinners  is  making  as  much  yarn  as  every  woman  in 
the  United  States  could  spin  if  she  devoted  all  her  time  to  the  work. 

I  472  1 


A  DOUBLE  Spinning  Jenny  is  a 
rarity.  The  one  here  shown  is  arrang- 
ed to  spin  two  threads  at  once.  It 
must  have  required  a  spinner  of  wonder- 
ful skill  to  keep  it  going.  Fingering 
four  part  music  on  the  piano  would  be 
easy  in  comparison.  The  double  wheel 
was  the  foreshadowing  of  the  machinery 
that  was  to  follow,  so  that  one  spinner 
could  attend  an  entire  battery  of 
jennies.  Date:  i8th  Century.  Owner: 
Mr.  L.  C.  Flynt,  of  Monson. 

The  wheel  below  is  a  bobbin  wheel. 
On  it  was  wound  the  yarn  to  prepare 
it  for  the  loom.  The  bobbins  were 
placed  within  the  shuttle.  It  was  a 
long  and  intricate  process.  A  card  for 
combing  the  wool  lies  oa  the  frame. 

The  various  contrivances  for  making  butter  and  cheese  are  too  simple  to 
require  illustration  further.     Hulling  of  corn  by  wood  lye;  braying  of  corn 
in  a  great  mortar,  before  the  day  of  mills;  the  manufacture  of  hominy, 
called   now   in    the    South 
grits;  the  sanding  of  floors; 
were  a  part  of  the   duties 
with     which     a     housewife 
could  amuse  her  leisure  hour. 
If  any  time  remained  there 
were  candles  to  dip,  scour- 
ing to  do,  braiding  of  mats, 
boilingof  rush  lights.  Every 
one    was    supposed    to    be 
busy  when  not  asleep. 

The  men  in  stormy  days 
had  clapboards  to  split, 
shingles  to  shave,  ax  and 
scythe  and  fork  and  shovel 
handles  to  hew.  The  littlest 
girls  were  knitting  with 
grandmother.  The  young  boys  made  birch  brooms  with  grandfather,  and 
always,  when  all  else  failed,  children  were  told  to  think  of  their  sins.  This 
method  prevented  them  from  thinking  up  new  ones. 

I  473  1 


-J*. 


[474 


ON  the  previous  page  are  four  forms  of  reels  for  taking  the  yarn  off  the 
spindle  where  it  was  spun.  They  all  have  some  device  for  checking  the 
lengths  into  skeins. 

The  lower  left  one  with  rare  bent  legs  belongs  to  Mr.  B.  A.  Behrend;  the 
others  to  the  author. 

Above  is  the  process  of  weaving  rag  rugs,  such  as  that  on  the  floor.  Weav- 
ing is  still  done  by  hand  in  the  South,  and  Northern  people  have  encouraged 
a  fad  for  "liomespun."     It  wears  well  but  has  little  other  merit. 

(47Sl 


ABOVE  is  an  embroidery  frame  of  much  interest.  It  is  owned  by  Mr. 
W.  of  Boston,  and  the  construction  is  a  nice  piece  of  work.  It  has  the  trestle 
foot,  or  shoe.  The  frame  swivels  on  the  posts,  and 
is  held  in  the  proper  angle  for  work  by  two  hand 
screws.  The  work  was  kept  taut  by  turning  the 
wooden  nuts  on  the  side  bars,  thus  making  the  frame 
adjustable  to  any  length.  The  worker  stood  before 
the  frame.  All  parts  are  turned.  We  are  unable  to 
fix  anything  like  a  definite  date.  We  regard  it  as  an 
i8th  Century  piece. 


The  other  smaller  frame  was  adjustable  in  hight 
as  well  as  in  slant  to  the  convenience  of  one  sitting. 
There  is  a  universal  joint  of  wood,  the  female  mem- 
ber of  which  is  split  and  adjusted  rigidly  by  a  hand 
screw.  The  hoop  is  wound  with  cloth  and  a  second 
hoop  is  clamped  over  it,  avoiding  any  need  of 
basting. 


U76I 


A  SPINET  with  Spanish  feet.  Made  by  Thomas  Hitchcock.  Date: 
about  1690.  It  is  said  the  frames,  and  the  pine  music  drawers  were  made 
in  this  country.  Hence,  the  piece  is  introduced  here.  The  strings  are 
plucked  by  quill  plectrums.  The  feet  are  a  specially  good  adaptation  to  a 
light  leg,  and  are  a  good  example  of  how  the  thing  could  be  done.  Atten- 
tion is  called  to  the  matter,  since  there  are  so  many  awkward  Spanish  feet. 
These  instruments  have  but  one  brass  wire  to  each  note.  The  piano  had 
not  been  invented.  One  should  notice  that  the  figures  after  a  maker's  name 
on  the  early  instruments  are  not  a  date,  as  so  many  suppose,  but  the  number 
of  the  instrument.  This  piece  was  in  the  Hazen  Garrison  house,  Haverhill, 
and  we  think  is  now  in  the  Brooklyn  Public  Museum.  The  shape  is  quite 
like  that  of  a  baby  grand  piano.    The  wood  is  walnut,  with  inlays  in  front. 

The  tops  of  these  instruments  were  so  thin  that  in  most  cases  warping 
cannot  be  prevented  in  a  modern  house,  where  the  air  is  too  dry  for  the 
good  of  any  furniture.  A  method  of  cutting  very  fine  parallel  lines,  with  a 
saw,  on  the  under  side  of  a  warped  top  is  advised.  The  cuts  stop  short 
of  cutting  through  to  the  opposite  surface.  The  board  may  then  be  flat- 
tened easily,  and  kept  in  place  by  working  into  the  narrowed  saw  cuts 
a  composition  of  sawdust  and  glue,  or  very  thin  pieces  of  wood. 


[477 


A  HARPSICHORD,  that  is,  a  harp-shaped  instrument  of  music.  It  is  a 
larger  and  more  elaborate,  and  a  better  instrument  than  the  spinet.  It  was 
the  immediate  precursor  of  the  piano.  Some  of  these  instruments  were  very 
large — even  exceeding  in  this  respect  the  modern  piano. 

There  were  spinets  and  harpsichords  both  square  and  upright  in  shape, 
but  the  style  here  is  the  finest.  There  was  usually  more  than  one  string  to  a 
key,  sometimes  as  many  as  four.  There  were  sometimes  two  keyboards, 
for  soft  and  loud  eff"ects  respectively.  These  instruments  were  regularly 
used  in  all  dramatic  music.  The  instrument  shown  is  in  the  Benning  Went- 
worth  Mansion,  Newcastle,  New  Hampshire,  near  Portsmouth.  These 
instruments  are  of  the  17th  and  i8th  Centuries. 

As  to  fine  musical  instruments  as  well  as  clocks,  the  17th  Century  was 
too  early  to  develop  such  articles  to  any  extent  in  America.  We  find  Ameri- 
can cases,  or  parts  of  cases.  The  works  were  probably  all  imported.  The 
wood  is  quite  generally  walnut  indicating  a  date  between  1670  and  1730. 

In  most  households  a  pitch  pipe  or  a  tuning  fork  was  all  the  instru- 
ment that  could  produce  musical  vibrations,  except  the  fair  throats  of  the 
pilgrim  daughters.  The  words  were  lined  out  in  church,  and  comical  tales 
are  told  of  audiences  mistaking  some  interjected  remark  of  the  leader  for 
words  of  the  hymn,  whereupon  they  proceeded  to  sing  with  fervor  "My 
throat  is  very  sore,  I  scarce  can  speak  any  more."  Happily  people  can 
do  what  they  must.  Jonathan  Edwards  preached  a  sermon  to  prove  it  was 
a  sin  not  to  sing.  Were  he  living  now,  in  an  apartment,  he  would  know 
better. 


I478I 


A  SPINET  formerly  belonging  to  the  niece  of  David  Brainerd,  missionary 
to  the  Indians.  It  is  owned  by  the  author.  He  procured  it  in  Haddam, 
Connecticut,  from  the  family  in  which  it  had  always  been  handed  down.  The 
name  is  Jacobus  Kirckman,  {Londini  fecit). 

The  base  is  maple  whereas  the  case  is  handsome  walnut  inlaid  in  front. 

The  method  of  adapting  the  frame  to  the  instrument  was  curious.  At 
the  top  of  the  frame  were  little  iron  spurs,  pointing  upward.  Wherever  the 
case  is  set  down  these  spurs  sink  into  the  wood  and  prevent  movement. 
But  the  placing  of  the  frame  must  be  about  right  to  get  the  instrument  to 
cover  it  perfectly.  These  spurs  are  an  argument  that  the  instruments  and 
the  frame  were  not  constructed  at  the  same  place  and  time.  Thus  the  case 
can  be  lifted  off  bodily,  without  tools.  The  brass  hardware  on  these  instru- 
ments is  of  very  fine  pattern  and  workmanship. 

There  was  no  special  change  in  most  musical  instruments  used  at  an  early 
period  in  America,  to  warrant  their  introduction  here.  Of  course  even  the 
spinet  was  rare.  Small  musical  instruments  prevailed,  such  as  the  harp, 
violin  and  pipes. 


I479I 


A  ROOM  arranged  with  highboy,  lowboy,  early  Queen  Anne  looking 
glass,  17th  Century  high  stretcher  table  and  three  Carver  chairs.  The 
fireplace  is  of  the  style  closed  in  summer  with  variously  painted  fireboard. 
The  minute  pewter  cup  on  the  table  was  probably  for  medicine — it  is  too 
small  even  for  the  strongest  strong  waters.  The  warming  pan  is  of  the  early 
variety,  having  the  iron,  rather  than  the  wood  handle.  A  foot  stove  such 
as  was  carried  to  church,  and  used  in  sleighs  on  cold  rides,  appears.  The 
material  burned  was  charcoal.  The  arms  are  somewhat  earlier  than  the 
revolution  and  are  preserved  mainly  because  this  room  shows  the  gun  room 
of  the  town  of  Framingham  in  the  revolution. 

Powder  horns  were  often  carved  as  in  the  one  showing  here.  Good  horns 
were  translucent  so  as  to  reveal  by  holding  against  the  light  the  amount  of 
powder  in  reserve.    The  fireplace  is  twenty  years  late  for  our  period. 

After  a  careful  inquiry  the  author  is  unable  to  find  any  authority  to  in- 
form us  when  braided  and  drawn-in  rugs  were  first  made.  The  Indians 
understood  braiding,  but  so  also  did  the  colonists.  We  shall  probably  never 
know  how  early  braid  was  worked  into  rugs. 


I480I 


A  ROOM  in  the  Ipswich  Historical  Society's  house,  otherwise  the  Sal- 
tonstall  house.  It  is  in  some  respects  the  most  interesting  early  American 
house,  but  not  to  go  beyond  our  province,  we  show  the  great  fireplace  as  a 
suggestion  of  the  manner  in  which  utensils  and  furniture  were  grouped 
about  it.    Mantels  are  often  a  later  addition. 

The  tin  oven  also  is  after  our  period  probably.  The  oven  is  in  the  wall 
in  the  rear  of  the  fireplace,  and  never  by  the  side  of  it. 

The  churn,  in  winter  was  drawn  near,  or  placed  far  from  the  fireplace, 
according  as  the  temperature  of  the  cream  required  "to  make  the  butter 
come."  A  swift,  or  yarn  reel,  attached  to  the  table  on  the  extreme  right 
is  the  only  one  of  the  sort  we  illustrate.  It  was  later  than  those  that  stood 
on  the  floor. 

A  broom  made  of  one  piece  of  birch  shows.  A  large  stick  was  stripped 
down  in  shreds  and  tied  down,  the  remaining  stick  forming  the  handle.  It 
was  very  serviceable. 


I  481] 


A  ROOM  giving  a  17th  Century  arrangement  of  a  Hadley  two-drawer 
chest,  a  "tuckaway,"  or  folding  gate-leg  table,  a  Carver  baby  high  chair,  a 
Flemish-legged  highboy,  a  17th  Century  pine  desk,  a  scrolled-foot  side 
chair,  a  joint  stool,  a  wainscot  chair  and  a  leather  back  chair,  all  original. 
Also  a  Spanish  foot  gate-leg  table.  The  shutters  are  a  little  late  for  the 
setting,  but  only  a  score  of  years.  Such  other  articles  as  appear  may  explain 
themselves. 

The  requirements  in  furnishing  an  entire  room  with  ample  intervals,  if 
the  space  is  about  16  feet  square,  are  ten  to  a  dozen  pieces.  More  are  here 
gathered  at  one  side  for  a  picture's  sake,  than  would  be  wholly  appropriate 
in  use.  The  attraction  of  early  furniture  consists  mostly  in  its  grouping. 
The  museum  method  is  necessary  perhaps  for  study,  but  charm  is  gained  by 
a  room  setting. 

Paint  may  have  been  used  on  walls,  as  we  know  it  was  in  a  decorative 
way,  on  furniture  in  the  17th  Century;  but  the  presumption,  in  America, 
is  against  it. 


I  482 


THE  Chest  picture  above  was  received  too  late  to  supply  data.  It  is  a 
very  interesting  variant  of  the  Hadley  chest  found  early  in  this  volume. 
The  introduction  of  the  sunflower  or  aster  ornament,  so  generally  found 
in  the  Connecticut  sunflower  chests,  allies  this  specimen  more  closely  with 
Connecticut.  The  other  Hadley  chests,  obviously,  were  free  from  that 
influence.    The  photograph  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Geo.  Dudley  Seymour. 


To  fit  17th  Century  furniture  a  room  may  have  a  wall  covered  with  pine 
sheathed  panel  work.  Every  other  board  is  thin,  like  a  panel.  No  attention 
is  paid  to  the  widths  of  the  boards.  A  long  bevel  forms  a  tongue  to  fit  a 
groove.  Thus  the  thin  board  has  a  tongue  on  both  sides.  There  is  no  true 
panel  with  four  sides,  a  thing  which  came  later,  of  course  for  wall  work. 
The  ceiling  may  be  composed  of  open  work  of  small  floor  joist  framed  into 
larger  timbers,  while  the  floor  above  forms  the  cover.  To  deaden  sound 
material  may  be  placed  between  the  floors.  Or  plaster,  never  smooth,  may 
be-applied  between  the  joists. 


[483] 


THE  three  finials  above  are  from  Brewster  and  Carver  chairs.  Of  those 
below  the  larger  are  from  Carver  and  Pilgrim  chairs,  and  the  others  from 
chairs  dating  later,  about  1700.  The  plates  are  both  half  size — the  only 
pictures  made  to  scale  in  this  volume. 


I484I 


THE  Attic  of  the  Webb-Welles  house  at  Wethersfield,  Connecticut. 
The  attic  is  the  most  beloved  spot  a  collector  knows.  It  is  one  of  "The 
loved  spots  that  our  infancy  knew." 

Into  it  went  for  two  hundred  years  the  discarded  because  "old  fashioned" 
furniture.  Many  a  New  England  house  has  today  great  treasures  in  its 
attic;  which  are  unsuspected  by  the  occupant  of  the  house.  And  it  is  high 
time  to  add  another  sentence  to  that.  Many  an  attic  has  worthless  furniture 
which  its  possessor  values  at  a  fortune.  The  house-holders  are  gradually 
awakening  to  know  that  old  furniture  is  good,  but  their  knowledge  is  at 
present,  and  ever  must  be,  confused.  So  they  may  sometimes  count  the 
worthless  priceless,  and  the  priceless  worthless. 

If  articles  are  highly  valued  why  are  they  kept  in  attics,  where  the  excel- 
lent collector  cannot  come?  Or  if  he  comes,  he  arrives  after  much  negotia- 
tion. If  all  the  hidden  things  were  revealed  today  where  would  be  the 
sport  of  collecting  for  the  coming  generation.?  Yet  we  deprecate  the  sar- 
donic grin,  or  the  complacent  aspect,  of  the  collector  who  has  "arrived", 
when  he  endeavors  to  comfort  the  collector  who  has  not  arrived,  with  the 
saying  that  there  are  just  as  good  fish  in  the  sea  as  ever  were  caught — the 
sea,  in  this  mixed  metaphor,  being  an  unknown  attic. 


[485! 


A  ROOM  with  a  low  Oak  Bed,  which  our  first  fathers  used.  Two 
chests  also  appear.  We  are  presuming  that  the  collections  of  a  family 
for  a  century  are  here  drawn  upon,  with  some  articles  which  were  newly 
purchased   about    1720. 

The  literature  of  the  settlers  would  not,  aside  from  the  Bible,  make 
enlivening  reading  now.  Although  many  of  the  books  of  the  period  are  of 
much  historical  value,  and  of  present  interest  because  of  their  quaintness. 

In  musical  instruments  they  were  especially  poor.  Music  had  charms 
for  them,  but  those  charms  were  regarded  as  inspired  from  below,  as  so 
much  doubtless  was  in  their  English  experience. 

Hunting  was  an  important  occupation  rather  than  a  sport,  because  they 
needed  the  spoils  of  the  chase.  Fishing  was,  after  agriculture,  the  first 
industry  in  importance.  They  became  too  weary  for  much  athletic  recre- 
ation.    There  was  before  them  the  big  job  of  conquering  a  continent. 


486] 


AN  old  "hall"  setting.  The  hall  in  this  sense  is  the  main  room  in  the 
house.  What  was  later  enlarged  to  our  hall  was  then  merely  a  porch  or 
entry. 

At  the  fireplace  the  flip  iron  was  heated  and  thrust  into  the  potation  for 
the  evening.  The  cheese  could  be  toasted  on  the  slender  long  fork  shown 
on  page  549.  The  chairs  were  made  comfortable  with  cushions  unless  the 
seat  was  rush,  which  required  no  cushion.  Children  occupied  stools. 
There  was  no  effort  to  keep  any  room,  except  the  great  room,  that  is,  the 
"hall,"  warm  enough  to  sit  in.  The  great  chimney  itself  warmed  somewhat 
the  rooms  above,  and  the  floor  even  in  a  good  house  was  not  so  tight  but 
that  heat  could  rise  through  the  narrow  cracks. 

The  winter  evenings  were  spent  in  basket  making,  spinning,  weaving  and 
knitting.  The  musket  was  kept  where  it  would  not  rust  and  the  powder 
would  be  dry. 

The  width  of  the  floor  boards  was  such  that  they  shrunk  in  winter  and 
swelled  in  summer  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch .  In  this  crack  the  sand  of  the 
floor  sifted.     The  first  homes  being  by  the  sea  fine  white  sand  was  available. 

The  windows  being  very  small  required  little  drapery. 

I487I 


COLLECTORS'  DON'TS 

1.  DON'T  collect  restored  furniture.     Get  it  "in  the  rough." 

2.  Don't  collect  furniture  with  new  paint,  which  covers  a  multitude  of 

sins. 

3.  Don't  seek  for  bargains.     Low  prices  on  choice  articles,  at  a  dealer's, 

prove  something  is  wrong. 

4.  Don't  aim  at  rarity  alone.     An  object  must  have  intrinsic  interest. 

5.  Don't  hesitate  when  you  are  sure.     The  best  things  are  lost  by  a  day, 

or  an  hour. 

6.  Don't  trust  your  own  judgment  in  all  things,  because  you  are  experi- 

enced in  certain  classes  of  things. 

7.  Don't  forget  Franklin  and  buy  what  is  cheap,  unless  you  need  it. 

8.  Don't  leave  behind  what  you  have  purchased.     People  change  their 

minds.     Possession  is  nine  points  of  the  law. 

9.  Don't  fail  to  keep  sweet  because  you  meet   people  who  will   not   part 

with  their  treasures.     Others  have  rights. 

10.  Don't  restore  more  than  is  necessary.     New  furbished  17th  Century 

furniture  loses  it  charm.     Mahogany  is  different. 

11.  Don't  forget  that  an  inheritor  is  often  the  poorest  judge  of  the  age  and 

merit  of  his  property.     Traditions  should  not  be  bought. 

12.  Don't  give  attention  to  historical   furniture.     Don't   "buy  stories." 

They  are  good  backgrounds,  for  good  things  only. 

13.  Don't  fail  to  study  both  books  and  the  furniture  itself.     Half  the 

pleasure  is  in  knowing. 

14.  Don't  mix  styles  very  much.     The  beauty  of  an  old  room  consists  in 

approximate  harmony. 

15.  Don't  make  a  house  a  museum.     It  is  not  as  interesting  as  just  enough. 

16.  Don't  regard  the  discovery  of  specimens  like  rare  pieces  you   already 

have,  as  a  disaster.     We  ought  to  be  glad  for  every  good  thing  that 
comes  to  light. 

17.  Don't  fail  to  let  the  knowledge  of  beauty  and  quaintness  in  your 

possession  become  public  knowledge.     We  owe  it  to  our  generation 
to  diffuse  good  taste.     Patriotism  calls  for  an  adorned  country. 

18.  Don't  despair  of  getting  what  you  want,  if  you  seek  long  enough. 

Hunting  is  better  than  fishing. 

19.  Don't  neglect  to  become  an  authority  on  some  one  thing  at  least,  if  it 

is  only  a  tinder-box. 


[488] 


A  ROOM  with  furniture  of  the  year  1700,  some  of  it  a  little  earlier,  some 
a  little  later.  On  the  wall  is  a  cocked  hat  box,  three-cornered.  It  has  a 
rest,  within,  for  the  hat.  A  flax  wheel  and  a  yarn  reel  are  shown,  with  a 
leather  back  and  a  late  Carver  chair.  A  middle  stretcher  tavern  table, 
candle  stand  and  other  articles,  like  the  "ancestor"  on  the  wall  may 
tell  their  own  story. 

The  Obligation  to  Materials 

We  have  no  right  to  misuse  wood.  We  did  not  make  it.  We  found  it, 
like  air,  water  and  grass.  The  only  possible  manner  of  acquiring  any  rights 
over  it  is  by  putting  the  stamp  of  character  upon  it.  The  theologians  tell 
us  of  sins,  as  if  we  were  under  obligation  to  a  spiritual  world  alone.  But 
sheer  wickedness  in  the  use  of  materials  ought  to  cause  even  a  materialist 
to  shudder.  Wood  is  one  of  the  best  things  we  have.  Whether  Grinling 
Gibbons  puts  his  tool  to  it  or  we  make  a  milking  stool  of  it,  men  will  measure 
us  by  the  manner  of  our  handling  it. 

Only  people  with  a  sense  of  reverence  for  materials  can  make  good  citizens. 
A  man  must  use  wood  well,  or  he  will  mistreat  his  neighbors. 


I489I 


INTERIOR    DECORATIONS    OF    THE    17th    CENTURY 

Floors:     Kitchens  or  Halls;  Sand  or  Rushes;  corn  husk  mats. 

Parlors,  Dining  Rooms  and  Chambers:  Drawn-in,  otherwise  called 
hooked  rugs,  made  on  a  burlap  base;  braided  rugs;  knitted  rugs. 

Ceilings:  Open  beams  and  floor  joist  with  the  rough  boards  above. 
The  beams  chamfered.  Sometimes  the  entire  ceiling  was  whitewashed. 
A  second  scheme  was  to  plaster  between  the  joist,  with  rough  plaster. 
There  is  not  yet  any  evidence  found  that  ceilings  were  paneled  in  the  17th 
century.  But  inasmuch  as  panels  were  used  shortly  after  the  century  went 
out,  simple  large  panels,  preferably  unpainted,  may  be  used. 

Walls:  The  most  eiTective  early  style  was  in  sheathed  paneling.  Every 
second  board  was  a  panel  with  a  very  long  tongue.  Every  second  board  was 
grooved  on  both  sides  for  panels.  The  boards  ran  to  the  beam,  girt  or 
cornice,  and  to  the  floor,  or  sill.  The  tongued  boards  sometimes  were 
furnished  with  beads  or  quarter  round  molds  to  meet  the  panels.  The  style 
may  be  seen  still  in  many  old  houses. 

There  was  no  half-way  panel.  The  work  ran  from  floor  to  ceiling.  In 
this  style  the  corner  posts  and  the  beams  were  left  uncovered,  being 
smoothed  by  the  plane.     The  boards  were  pine,  the  timbers  oak. 

Plaster  was  used  sometimes  in  the  17th  Century,  especially  on  the  ex- 
posed walls.  On  the  walls  abutting  on  other  rooms  a  finish  all  in  wood  was 
common.  The  sheathed  panel  work  may  sometimes  have  been  painted. 
Preferably  it  was  left  natural,  with  no  finish  whatever,  either  oil  or  stain. 

The  doors  were  cleated,  of  the  same  construction  as  the  wall  sheathing, 
precisely. 

Beds:  The  material  of  the  canopy  was  cotton,  linen,  wool  or  silk. 
It  varied  with  the  means  and  taste  of  the  owner.  Plain  or  plain  colored 
linen  covered  by  netting  was  used.  Copperplate  came  later.  So  also  did 
hand  stamped  calico. 

Windows:  These  were  small  and  all  the  light  was  needed.  Shades 
were  not  used.  A  single  material  to  push  away  at  the  sides  was  the  style. 
The  same  material  as  used  on  the  beds  was  proper. 

Upholstery:  Cushions  were  made  of  leather,  linen  or  silk.  Cupboard 
tops  were  covered  with  rich  cloths  and  cushions  were  placed  on  such  covers, 
on  which  again  were  placed  the  finer  pieces  of  plate,  pewter  or  china.  All 
wooden  seats  were  probably  provided  with  cushions,  e.xcept  simple  stools. 
Couches  (day  beds)  had  cushions  made  in  the  same  style  as  the  chairs. 

Table  and  Bed  Linen:     It  was  linen,  in  great  variety  and  richness. 

I490I 


I  491  1 


ON  the  next  page  following  are  a  remarkable  pair  of  quill-work  sconces. 
Owner:  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bigelow  of  Cambridge,  who  has  kindly  furnished 
the  author  with  some  data  regarding  them. 

The  size  of  each  is  21  by  9  inches.  The  frames  are  in  all  respects  similar 
in  style  and  materials  to  looking  glass  frames  of  the  period.  The  obvious 
reason  is  that  the  looking  glasses  themselves  were  often  used  with  sconces. 
The  designer  of  these  sconces  went  farther  and  filled  his  frames  with  decora- 
tive materials,  designed  to  catch  the  light  in  front.  The  frames  are  of 
walnut. 

The  vase  design,  with  the  rosettes  and  border  are  of  paper,  gilded  on  the 
edge.  The  flowers,  principally  carnations  and  tulips,  are  made  of  wax, 
which  is  perhaps  mixed  with  mica.  Each  petal  is  edged  with  silver  wire. 
The  colors  are  red,  blue,  purple  and  white,  of  varying  shades.  The  whole 
sparkles  from  the  light  of  the  candle  below. 

They  were  made  by  Ruth  Read,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  John  Read,  a 
lawyer  of  distinction  in  Boston  between  1722  and  1749. 

In  "Gold  and  Silver  of  Windsor  Castle,"  1911  (p.  xxxi),  Mr.  E.  Alfred 
Jones  refers  to  this  pair  of  simple  scrolled  candle  brackets  as  being  typical 
of  such  in  use  in  England  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  None  of  the 
English  specimens  seem  to  have  survived  the  melting-pot.  Similar  brackets 
may  be  observed  in  Hogarth's  engravings,  "The  Laughing  Audience"  and 
"The  Analysis  of  Beauty."  This  pair  of  brackets  was  made  by  Knight 
Leverett  of  Boston  (1703-53),  and  is  engraved  "RR  1720." 

We  distinguish  here  between  the  sconce  brackets,  which  hold  the  candles, 
and  the  sconces,  which  are  the  portion  against  the  wall — the  framed  section. 

The  pieces  are  supposedly  unique.    Their  eff^ect  is  excellent. 

In  not  a  few  instances  glasses  probably  had  sconce  brackets  which  have 
been  lost,  the  sockets  even  being  removed,  so  that  there  is  scarcely  a  trace 
of  their  former  location.  The  effect  of  looking  glasses  with  candles  was  not 
overlooked  by  the  designers  of  the  period.  The  fashion  of  using  such  can- 
dles was  continued  into  Chippendale's  time  and  even  later,  only  in  the  later 
time  the  candles  were  placed  at  one  side  rather  than  in  front  of  the  glass. 
We  may  suppose  that  the  fashion  of  cutting  the  surface  of  the  glass  in  orna- 
mental forms  was  a  persistence  of  the  decorative  idea  such  as  appears  in  the 
pair  of  sconces  before  us. 


I  492] 


A  PAIR  of  Sconces  in  quill-work.  The  property  of  Mr.  Francis  Hill 
Bigelow  of  Cambridge.  They  are  veneered,  apparently  in  walnut;  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  wide,  and  are  now  painted  black.  More  fully  described 
on  preceding  page. 


493 


A  DECORATED  looking  glass,  the  property  of  Mr.  Mark  M.  Henderson 
of  Norvvalk,  Connecticut.  The  frame  is  small,  and  is  decorated  by  painted 
scrolls  which  do  not  show  in  the  picture. 

It  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  Peregrine  White,  though  what  the  evidence 
is  we  do  not  know.  He  lived  into  the  i8th  Century,  and  was  a  substantial 
citizen,  whose  dwelling  remains  to  this  day.  Many  articles  came  down  to 
us  from  him,  and  are  in  the  Pilgrim  Hall,  Plymouth.  It  is  natural  since  he 
was  the  only  original  member  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  who  lived  into  the 
1 8th  Century  that  we  should  know  and  have  his  relics.  John  Alden,  who 
is  said  to  have  been  the  youngest  signer  of  the  famous  compact,  was  a 
young  man  when  Peregrine  was  born  on  the  Mayflower  in  Provincetown 
harbor.  Though  Alden  outlived  all  the  other  signers  he  died  a  score  of  years 
or  so  before  Peregrine  White. 


494  1 


A  FRAMED  Petit  Point  Needlework  Picture  of  the  17th  Century  owned 
by  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving.  This  picture  with  its  rich  coloring,  quaint  drawing 
and  perspective  is  characteristic  of  the  period,  and  is  particularly  interesting 
by  reason  of  the  fidelity  of  the  costumes  displayed.  It  is  introduced  in 
this  work,  however,  on  account  of  the  frame,  which  is  of  pine,  well  moulded 
and  with  a  wide  gold  lining.  In  order  to  show  the  cloud  effect  the  top  is 
made  with  a  double  arch,  and  should  be  compared  with  the  sconce  on 
page  491. 


I  495  1 


A  LOOKING  GLASS,  formerly  provided  with  sconce  brackets. 

The  glass  itself  is  original.    The  author  owns  the  piece.  The  frame  is  pine. 

The  places  where  sconce-brackets  were  affixed  at  the  bottom  are  clearly 
designed  for  such  a  purpose,  being  practically  the  same  in  the  contour  of 
the  frame  as  other  glasses  provided  with  brackets.    Date:  1710-30. 

The  frame  has  been  gilded  and  blacked.  It  is  left  as  found,  "in  the 
rough,"  some  parts  of  the  gilding  having  scaled  off. 

The  possession  of  a  large  glass,  in  the  period  we  are  treating,  was  counted 
a  luxury.  Little  glasses  crudely  framed  in  pine,  and  painted,  or  in  leather 
are  found. 


I496I 


A  LOOKING  GLASS 

dating  about  1700.  It 
is  all  original,  but  there 
was  a  decorative  scrolled 
top  which  has  been  lost. 
It  is  owned  by  the 
author.     The  frame  out- 


side  is  27^8  by  31,^ 
inches.  The  wood  is 
walnut  veneer.  The  glass 
is  i8>^  by  22  inches.  The 
bevel  is  discernible. 

Whether  the  beve! 
originated  in  a  desire  to 
reflect  light  as  from 
another  face  of  glass  after 
the  manner  in  which 
precious  stones  are  cut, 
we  do  not  know.  The 
bevel  adds  to  the  beauty 
of  the  glass. 

The  early  bevel  was 
very  flat  and  soft.  The 
edges  blended  more  gently 
with    the    main    surface 

than  in  the  modern  bevel.  It  is  sometimes  impossible  to  see  the  bevel 
on  an  old  glass  at  some  angles.  The  surmise  that  the  bevel  was  cut  to 
fit  the  glass  more  easily  and  securely  in  the  frame  is  untenable.  It  will 
be  seen  as  we  proceed  that  the  earliest  looking  glasses  were  nearly  square, 
because  the  glass,  expensive  in  any  form,  was  least  so  in  this  form.  Later 
came  the  two  glasses,  the  one  over  the  other,  as  a  measure  of  economy. 

The  very  earliest  frames  mentioned  in  America  have  stump  embroidery 
but  the  only  one  known  has  been  illustrated,  and  was  not  American,  anyway. 

Whether  any  glass  as  early  as  1700  is  American  cannot  now  be  known. 
The  glass  itself  was  imported.  We  believe  that  some  frames  as  early  as 
1700  were  made  here.  The  glass  industry  was,  in  the  heavy  plate  form  at 
least,  too  specialized  for  a  new  and  a  poor  country. 

Cheap  frames,  or  frames  to  be  decorated,  were  often  in  pine.  Fine  wood 
frames  were  usually  walnut,  which  also  indicates  their  period. 


I  497 


THE  GLASS  itself  on  the  next  page  is  133^  by  i6>4  inches.  It  has  a 
three  inch  convex  satin  wood  frame,  with  walnut  outside  edge.  It  is  inlaid 
with  thuya  and  tulip  wood.  The  top  has  three  inset  panels  of  corres- 
ponding design.  Originally  the  inlay  covered  the  entire  top.  The  veneer 
between  the  panels  is  now  missing.    A  very  rare  glass.    Date:  1710-20. 


The  word  "mirror"  in  the  quotation,  "now  we  see  in  a  mirror,  darkly," 
means  of  course  a  metal  mirror.  Polished  metal  did  not  give  the  excellent 
reflection  of  glass,  especially  when,  as  shortly  was  the  case,  it  became 
tarnished.  Hence  it  was  said  "we  see  darkly."  The  significance  of  the  word 
"looking-glass"  is  felt  at  once  when  we  remember  it  was  contrasted  with  the 
earlier  mirrors  which  were  not  glass.  The  beauty  and  elaborateness  of 
looking-glass  frames  arose  largely  from  the  expensiveness  of  the  glass 
which  must  be  honored  by  appropriate  richness  in  frame. 

Good  mirrors,  belonging  to  the  Pilgrim  Century,  are  more  difficult  to 
obtain  than  any  other  class  of  objects.  They  were  unusual  even  in  their 
period.  Breakage  has  done  for  the  most  of  them.  Lack  of  appreciation  of 
their  merits  is  responsible  for  the  loss  of  most  of  the  remainder. 

The  loss  by  fire  of  17th,  and  even  i8th,  Century  articles  is  immense.  An 
instance  comes  to  our  minds  where  a  collector  was  burned  out,  but  per- 
severed and  made  a  second  collection,  which  was  also  burned! 

Some  of  the  finest  work  in  the  country  is  still  in  very  precarious  sur- 
roundings. 

The  influence  of  commerce  on  the  diffusion  of  furnishings  for  homes  is 
almost  a  history  of  civilization.  The  early  Americans  were  a  maritime 
people.  Sea  captains  were  not  only  on  the  lookout  in  foreign  lands  for 
cargoes  to  sell  in  America,  but  they  were  in  the  habit  of  bringing  back  to 
their  wives  objects  of  interest  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Thus  the  early 
china  came  from  China,  as  well  as  from  English  importations.  Early 
mirrors  particularly  were  brought  home  because  there  were  no  such  things 
to  be  had  in  America.  We  have  instanced  such  a  mirror  being  brought  from 
Venice.  It  was  from  such  articles  that  the  American  cabinet  workers  de- 
rived their  styles.  They  often  made  in  pine  what  had  come  here  as  walnut. 
But  they  did  not  hesitate  to  attempt  more  precise  and  elegant  reproductions. 
We  know  that  sometimes  mirror  glasses  were  imported  without  their  frames. 


498] 


A  FRAME  belonging  to  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bigelow.  Further  particulars 
are  given  on  page  498.  The  reader  is  reminded  that  these  looking- 
glasses  are  not  shown  in  any  scale. 


I  499] 


THE  looking  glass  frame  above  has  its  perfect  original  glass,  but  the 
silvering  has  been  cleaned  off  and  the  coat  of  arms  inserted.  The  frame  is 
beautifully  decorated  with  marquetry  of  the  period  of  1700.  This  glass  was 
sold  from  the  Wayside  Inn,  Sudbury,  at  the  auction  of  its  contents  some 
fifty  years  since.  It  had  been  painted,  so  that  when  sold  its  character,  as 
a  walnut  and  inlaid  frame,  was  not  suspected.  The  cresting  is  missing, 
but  the  condition  of  the  frame  otherwise  is  quite  perfect. 

It  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Hill,  the  post  master  of  South  Sudbury,  who  in- 
herited the  glass  from  his  father,  the  purchaser  at  the  auction.  The  arms 
are  those  of  the  family  who  for  many  generations  conducted  the  inn. 


[500] 


A  LOOKING  GLASS  owned  by  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bigelow.  The  glass 
measurement  is  21  by  32^^  inches.  The  frame,  on  its  flat  surface,  is  i^ 
inches  wide.    It  is  of  walnut,  with  boxwood  edges,  inside  and  outside. 

This  is  a  large  glass  for  so  small  a  frame,  and  indicates  what  so  many  glasses 
did  not  that  its  principal  office  was  use.     Date:   1730-50. 

When,  as  was  sometimes  the  case,  the  only  glass  in  the  mirror  was  cut 
in  some  design,  we  infer  of  course  that  the  chief  purpose  was  decoration. 
In  the  case  where,  as  in  later  examples,  a  sconce  bracket  was  attached  near 
the  center  of  the  frame  the  motive  was  the  same  as  in  light-houses,  to  in- 
crease the  light  as  much  as  possible.  When  light  was  scanty,  as  in  those 
days,  reflection  became  important  for  any  sort  of  satisfactory  illumination. 
This  purpose  of  course  lay  behind  the  numerous  mirro'rs  found  in  a  single 
rich  French  room.  This  connection  between  mirrors  and  artificial  lighting 
is  often  forgotten  by  us  who  enjoy  such  full  and  easy  means  of  illumination. 

In  the  invention  of  looking  glasses  the  method  of  coating  their  backs  with 
quick-silver  was  as  important  as  the  skill  required  in  producing  the  glass. 
Since  the  ancients  used  mirrors  rather  than  looking  glasses,  obviously  no 
practical  method  of  silvering  mirrors  was  known  in  classical  times. 


I501I 


A  LOOKING  GLASS 
belonging  to  Mr.  Francis 
Hill  Bigelow.  The  glass 
is  iijs  by  I7}i  inches. 
It  has  a  two-inch  walnut 
frame  with  convex  mold- 
ing. The  style  of  top  is 
frequently  seen  in  Eng- 
lish mirrors,  but  with  a 
crown  and  other  royal 
emblems  in  the  fret  work. 
The  presence  of  such  em- 
blems does  not  in  itself 
prove  that  a  frame  having 
them  is  English.  It  only 
establishes  a  stronger  pre- 
sumption to  that  effect. 
During  the  reign  of 
William  and  Mary  and 
Queen  Anne  the  loyalty 
of  the  colonists  was  such 
that  royal  emblems  oc- 
curred here.  Yet  the 
mere  fact  that  one  lived 
in  America  showed  that 
a  seed  of  democracy  was 
working. 

These  fretted  frames 
appeared  as  late  as  Chip- 
pendale's time  but  with 
smaller  margins,  and  the 
fret  work  extending  on 
the  sides.  Date:  1710-30. 
-i  The  backs  of  American 
frames  are  as  a  rule  of 
pine,  the  edges  of  the  backing  being  beveled.  A  thickened  piece  of  wood 
near  the  top,  with  an  opening  for  a  hanging  cord,  was  common.  The  top 
as  shown  here  was  stiffened  by  long  splints  run  down  on  the  main  frame 
and  often  set  dovetail  fashion  into  it. 


502] 


THIS  Looking  glass  is  also  owned  by  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bigelow.  The 
glass  is  i6  by  ig^i  inches;  the  frame  is  4  inches  wide  in  addition.  It  is  of 
walnut  convex,  inlaid  with  satin  and  tulip  woods.  This  mirror  evidently 
had  a  top  which  has  been  lost.  Many,  however,  were  complete  as  seen  here. 
The  inlay  here  was  doubtless  imitated  in  the  glass  shown  on  page  494, 
attributed  to  Peregrine  White.  Only  in  that  glass  the  imitation  was  a 
painted  decoration,  to  take  the  place  of  inlay.    The  date  is  1700-20. 

One  should  notice  the  marked  resemblance  between  some  mirrors  of  this 
period  and  the  period  of  1850.  We  have  the  same  width  of  frame,  but  so 
far  as  we  know,  the  late  mirrors  are  always  of  concave  contour  on  the  frame. 
The  earlier  were  generally  convex  as  here.  The  latter  mirrors  were  also  of 
course  in  mahogany.    But  a  complete  novice  might  be  deceived. 

The  late  mirrors  never  had  a  scrolled  or  fretted  top,  and  the  glass  in  them 
was  not  beveled,  nor  often  plate. 

The  convex  mirrors,  when  seen  sidewise,  remind  one,  by  their  quick 
outward  sweep  of  frame,  of  the  blocked  fronts  of  some  early  chests,  from 
which  very  likely  they  took  their  style. 


503  1 


THE  Glass  here  shown 
measures  15^  by  i8)4 
inches.  The  frame  adds 
much  more,  the  molding 
being  4.^4  inches  wide. 
This  fine  specimen  is 
owned  by  Mr.  Francis 
Hill  Bigelow.  It  is  in 
applewood  veneer,  show- 
ing end  grain.  In  cases 
where  we  have  covered 
the  glass  to  avoid  con- 
fusing reflections  it  may 
be  understood  as  a  rule 
that  the  glass  is  beveled. 
On  this  frame  the  scroll 
is  simple  but  effective. 
The  shape  so  common,  in 
the  middleof  thecentury, 
of  the  "broken  arch," 
seen  also  on  door  heads, 
seems  not  to  be  found  in 
the  early  years  of  the 
century.  The  date  is 
1700-20. 

Looking  glasses  like  the 

above  are  more  rare  than 

the  long  glasses,  in  two 

parts,  which  bear  the  name  Queen  Anne.    If  we  are  to  use  an  English  name 

to  mark  the  period,  William  and  Mary  is  proper  for  the  style  before  us. 

The  old  glass  in  these  frames  is  highly  valued  by  collectors,  whatever  its 
condition.  This  is  true  partly  because  it  seems  impossible  to  obtain  com- 
mercial plate  cut  on  the  old  bevel.  Many  old  glasses  have  been  resilvered, 
but  the  result  is  not  fully  satisfactory.  It  seems  quite  impossible  to  silver 
an  old  glass  and  secure  a  perfect  adherence  everywhere  of  the  amalgam. 
Formerly  mercury  was  used  in  an  alloy  with  tin.  Pure  silver  is  sometimes 
used   now. 

The  direct  rays  of  the  sun  will  soon  ruin  the  silvering  on  a  mirror.  It  is 
for  this  reason  that  old  mirrors  appear  as  they  do.  The  suspicion  arises 
whether  new  plate  is  not  sometimes  submitted  to  direct  sunlight  to  give  an 
old  effect. 


I  504] 


THE  Looking  Glasses  here  are  both  the  property  of  Mr.  Francis  Hill 
Bigelow.  That  on  the  left  has  a  glass  measuring  21  by  33^^  inches.  The 
width  of  the  side  molding  is  i}4  on  the  flat  part.  The  edges  outside  and 
inside  are  gilt.     The  frame  is  in  burl  walnut. 

At  either  side  below  the  glass  are  marks  showing  where  plates,  with  sockets 
for  candle  brackets,  were  attached.     Date:  1720-40. 

On  the  right,  the  glass  measures  ii>4  by  i6}4  inches.  There  is  a  two- 
inch  convex  walnut  frame.     Date:   1700-20. 

The  question  sometimes  arises  whether  the  tops  of  these  frames  were  made 
flat  and  acquired  convexity  by  warping,  or  whether  they  were  made  convex. 

As  wood  does  not  shrink  or  swell  endwise,  the  tops  as  they  swell  from 
dampness  must  either  warp  or  split.  A  thin  board  too,  which  is  veneered 
on  one  side  only,  is  sure  to  warp  in  time. 


Isosl 


THIS  picture  shows  what  is  prob- 
ably a  sconce  glass,  since  there  are 
two  holes  at  the  bottom  of  the  frame 
showing  that  a  plate  with  a  socket  held 
a  candle  bracket. 

The  glass  is  7>^  by  20J/4  inches. 

The  frame  is  one  inch  wide,  on  the 
sides;  the  wood  is  maple,  stained. 

The  scroll  below  bears  a  remarkable 
resemblance  to  that  seen  on  the  frame 
rails  of  tables  of  the  period,  or  a  little 
earlier. 

Date:   1700-30. 

The  plain  semi-circular  top  is  un- 
usual. Very  narrow  glasses  of  this 
character  often  came  in  pairs,  and  it 
may  be  that  this  specimen  once  had  its 
mate. 

It  is  owned  by  Mr.  Francis  Hill 
Bigelow.  One  should  compare  the 
molded  frame  of  this  glass  with  the 
similar  molding  running  around  the 
back  of  walnut  chairs  of  the  same 
period.  It  was  a  great  favorite  with 
the  cabinet  makers  of  that  day  who 
were  capable  of  getting  into  ruts  like 
those  of  the  present.  "We  refer,"  as 
Dr.  Hawes,  of  Hartford  used  to  say, 
"to  those  to  whom  we  allude!" 

The  back  of  any  early  looking  glass, 

if    it    has    not    been    tampered    with, 

shows  a  mellow  even  pine  surface  which 

cannot  be  mistaken   for  modern  work.     One  is  never  likely  to  be  misled, 

who  has  once  examined  a  looking  glass  back.     This  undisturbed  condition 

is  a  merit  much  regarded  by  collectors. 


I506I 


A  WALNUT  Frame, 
with  a  glass  13K  by  2i>^ 
inches.  The  frame  is  only 
one  inch  wide.  It  carries 
a  band  of  gilt  inside  and 
out.  Owner:  Mr.  Francis 
Hill  Bigelow. 

The  date  of  this  piece 
is  later  than  we  should, 
perhaps,  include  in  this 
book. 

This  glass  shows  the 
characteristic  feature  of 
the  Queen  Anne  period — 
the  shape  of  the  scroll. 
At  the  very  beginning  of 
the  scroll,  where,  on  the 
side,  it  sweeps  inward  a 
trifle,  is  a  motive  found 
on  great  numbers  of  the 
looking-glasses  of  this 
time,  1730-50. 

It  will  have  been  ob- 
served that  the  relatively 
wide  glasses  are  made  in 
one  piece,  whereas  the 
narrow  glasses  are  more 
than  likely  to  be  in  two 
parts.     The   object   of 

making  the  frames  narrow  was  probably  to  make  possible  the  use  of 
small  plates.  The  cutting  of  the  scrolls  on  some  of  the  simpler  glasses 
was  a  work  in  which  the  makers  of  that  day  seemed  to  delight.  This 
simple  frame,  for  instance,  has  a  glass  full  of  curves  and  angles,  the  cutting 
of  which,  as  a  commercial  matter,  seemed  to  cause  no  hesitancy  in  the  mind 
of  the  merchant. 


507  1 


Utensils  and  Hardware  before   1720 

WE  have  included  in  this  volume,  for  reasons  already  given,  most  of  the 
hardware  in  use  up  to  the  19th  Century.  But  in  the  pilgrim  century  the 
householder  himself  made,  or  had  made,  most  of  these  things.  The  first 
vessels  were  made  by  John  Alden.  Large  and  small  vessels  for  liquids 
were  nearly  all  made  of  staves  with  hoops.  Thus  dippers,  noggins,  pip- 
kins, firkins,  runlets,  barrels  and  hogsheads,  each  one  a  little  larger  than 
the  preceding,  served  as  containers  for  liquid  and  dry  commodities.  The 
pewter  was  at  first  imported,  also  the  iron  up  to  1640,  when  a  beginning  was 
made  here. 

The  trenchers,  trays,  troughs  and  bowls  were  of  wood,  turned,  burnt 
out,  or  fashioned  by  hand.  Vessels  of  bark,  and  of  splint  were  common. 
Basket  making  began  early.  Any  knowledge  our  fathers  lacked  in  this 
art  they  learned  from  the  Indians.  But  then  as  now  the  bartering  for 
baskets  with  the  Indians  was  common. 

The  settlers  hewed  the  handles  for  all  their  tools,  whether  for  carpentry 
or  the  farm.  A  broadax  man  could  hew  a  log  half  as  fast  as  a  primitive 
up  and  down  mill  could  saw  it.  A  forge  must  have  been  set  up  at  once. 
Though  they  imported  iron  and  steel  tools,  they  kept  them  sharp  with  the 
forge  or  grindstone.     They  bent  their  own  ox-bows  and  rake-bows. 

The  furniture  was  turned  where  possible.  Crude  beds  in  crude  houses 
were  made  to  answer.  One  has  only  to  know  how  quickly  woodsmen  will 
erect  log  houses  to  understand  why  the  houses  of  the  first  generation  had 
such  low  values  in  the  inventories.  Probably  not  a  particle  of  iron  entered 
into  the  first  houses.  Even  in  England  oak  pegs  still  exist  driven  in  slate 
or  shingle.  Floors  at  first  were  ignored.  Hard  clay  answered;  then  halved 
logs,  flat  side  up,  called  puncheons.  Doors  were  hung  with  wooden  pins 
and  closed  with  wooden  latches.  The  windows  were  holes  closed  by  solid 
shutters,  or  a  little  later  filled  up  with  paper  or  wee  panes  of  iridescent 
glass,  with  lead  divisions.  The  windows  were  the  most  difficult  thing  to 
make;  some  of  them  were  probably  imported. 

As  to  brick  houses,  one  often  hears,  as  if  it  were  a  necessary  or  remark- 
able thing,  that  "the  bricks  were  brought  from  England."  Brick  kilns 
existed  in  America  as  early  as  brick  houses.  Bricks  were  brought  from 
England  indeed,  but  as  ballast:  the  heavy  lading  of  ships  was  on  the  return 
voyage.  The  settlers  were  in  need  of  fine  manufactured  articles,  rather 
than  weighty  freights. 

No  doubt  the  vast  majority  of  the  pieces  of  very  early  furniture  were 
thrown  away  as  soon  as  better  specimens  were  available.  There  are  only 
a  few  thousand  pieces  of  American  17th  Century  furniture,  and  only  a  few 
hundred  very  fine  important  pieces. 

[508] 


A  LOOKING  GLASS, 
with  a  stained  maple 
frame.  The  glass 
measures  11J4  by  17 
inches.  The  narrow  part 
of  the  frame  is  13^  inches 
wide,  and  convex.  The 
sheer  simplicity  of  the 
design  is  rather  pleasing. 
The  odd  button  ornament 
and  the  somewhat  wan- 
dering uncertain  lines  of 
the  scroll  are  interesting 
gropings  after  beauty. 

The  date  is  about 
1700-10. 

It  is  often  alleged, 
even  in  this  book,  that 
maple  in  furniture  means 
American  work.  In  a 
looking  glass  frame  that 
allegation  can  probably 
be  supported  successfully. 
And  of  course  where  we 
see  maple,  the  burden  of 
proof  is  on  the  person 
who  calls  the  article 
English.  Nevertheless, 
maple  was  used  in  furni- 
ture in  England,  especially 
in  turnings,  to  a  consider- 
able extent.    What  study 

we  have  been  able  to  give  to  the  subject,  however,  inclines  us  to  tne  opinion 
that  the  17th  Century  tradition  was  so  strongly  in  favor  of  oak  that  maple 
would  surprise  one,  in  an  English  piece.  Thus  Flemish  and  other  turned 
chairs  in  maple  are  generally  conceded  to  be  American. 

As  a  general  proposition  the  nearer  we  approach  the  date  of  the  first 
settlers  in  America,  the  variation  between  English  and  American  types 
becomes  less.  For  the  first  score  or  two  of  years  the  settler,  not  having 
tested  the  woods  unusual  in  furniture  in  England,  would  keep  closer  to  the 
original  types.  Thus  oak  frames  in  dwellings,  not  a  whit  better  than  pine, 
continued  through  the  century,  with  exceptions. 

I  S09  1 


ON  the  next  page  on  the  left  is  a  looking-glass,  measuring  inside,  13M 
by  33^i  inches.  The  flat  walnut  frame  is  134  inches  wide.  Owner:  Mr. 
Francis  Hill   Bigelow. 

The  glass  in  the  top  is  beautifully  engraved  in  a  floral  design,  with  birds, 
and  conventional  scrolls.     Date:  about  1710. 

A  glass  as  large  as  this  forms  an  important  part  of  house  decoration. 
Whether  the  glass  cutting  on  mirrors  is  to  be  counted  as  pure  art,  or  art 
out  of  place  and  therefore  untrue  to  itself  is  a  matter  to  be  decided.  One 
feels  that  the  introduction  of  looking  glasses  of  a  pretentious  character, 
being  an  innovation,  was  accompanied  by  cut  decoration  partly  as  a  tour 
de  force,  to  show  what  the  manufacturer  could  do. 


I  510 


THE  left  hand  glass  is  mentioned  on  the  preceding  page. 

The  right  hand  looking  glass  is  very  large,  1534  by  43 ><  inches.  The 
cut  glass  top  is  a  simple  design.  The  frame  is  2}i  inches  wide,  in  burl  wal- 
nut, and  with  the  convex  molding. 

It  is  also  the  property  of  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bigelow.  The  date  is  about 
1710.    The  scrolled  lines  have  a  decisive  simplicity  that  is  quite  satisfactory. 


I511I 


A  SCONCE  Glass  of 
burl  walnut.  Owner:  Mr. 
Francis  Hill  Bigelow. 
The  date  though  well  on 
in  the  i8th  Century, 
perhaps  1730-60,  will  not 
exclude  it,  as  we  wish  to 
make  a  somewhat  com- 
plete showing  of  glasses 
with  sconce  brackets  at- 
tached underneath,  as  in 
the  earlier  period.  The 
size  of  this  glass  is  17^2 
by  29^2  inches.  The 
frame  is  gilt  inside  and 
out.  It  bears  "engraved" 
brass  plates  with  sockets 
for  candle  brackets. 

This  piece  may  have 
come  from  south  of  New 
York.  It  shows  the  car- 
touche decoration  in  the 
center  top,  which  we  look 
for  at  a  late  period.  Yet 
walnut  was  not  much 
used    for     mirrors    after 

1750- 

If  we  set    the  walnut 

period  as  ending  at  that 

date  we  shall,  it  is  true, 

include  some  examples  of 

L  a    decidedly    late    type, 

since  there  was  no  hard 

and  fast    rule.    The    plain    rectangular    glass,  the  only  one   we    show,  is 

decidedly   late.      The    setting  of    the    plates  for  sconces   at  one    side   is 

another  mark  of  change  from  the  earlier  period. 


I512I 


A  LOOKING  GLASS  the  ' 
outside  measurement  of  which 
is  i8>^  by  48^2  inches.  The 
frame  is  walnut.  The  decora- 
tion at  the  top,  which  shows 
somewhat  indistinctly,  is  a  very 
good  inlaid  design  in  tulip  wood. 

The  great  hight  of  the  mirror 
makes  it  more  important.  The 
glass  is  not  original.  It  had  of 
course  two  glasses.  Owner:  the 
author.  Date:  1710-20.  The 
frame  is  walnut ;  the  width  being 
i^  inches;  in  the  convex 
pattern. 

The  adaptability  of  walnut 
to  the  purpose  of  furniture 
making  was  recognized  in  the 
south  of  Europe  at  a  period  so 
remote  that  all  record  of  the 
matter  is  lost.  In  the  veneer 
it  was  used  sometimes  too  thick. 
In  the  modern  method  we  may 
hope  it  will  hold  its  form  better. 
With  the  mutations  of  two 
hundred  years  and  more  it  has 
done  well,  but  the  tendency  to 
curl  is  noticed  in  most  heavy 
veneers.  We  take  it  for 
granted  that  the  running  of  the 
veneer  across  the  grain  of  the 

pine  foundation  was  designed  as  a  better  decorative  effect,  as  the  grain  of 
the  wood  is  not  very  marked,  and  advantage  was  taken  of  every  feature 
possible.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  the  early  cabinet  makers  were  able 
to  make  a  veneer  that  lasted  as  their  work  did. 

The  pine  backing  of  so  many  early  looking  glasses  is  proof  that  pine 
was  found  almost  necessary  in  England  as  the  basis  of  the  best  veneer. 


I513 


A  WALNUT  two-part 
looking  glass.  It  is  original 
in  all  parts.  It  was  found  in 
Eastern  Massachusetts. 

The  full  hight  is  37  inches. 
The  cutting  on  the  upper 
glass  represents  that  bird, 
sometimes  called  a  phoenix  or 
a  pheasant,  but  which  is  not 
always  recognizable  by  any 
of  Audubon's  illustrations  ! 
It  was  at  least  a  bird;  and  a 
touch  of  mystery  is  rather  an 
advantage. 

This  frame  is  somewhat 
heavy,  as  in  the  earliest 
styles  of  the  two-part  looking 
glasses. 

The  date  is  about  1710. 
Owner:  the  author. 

In  these  glasses,  the  upper 
one  lapped  over  the  lower, 
and  the  rabbet  on  which  the 
glasses  rested  was  cut  deeper 
in  the  upper  section.  The 
object  of  lapping  the  glasses 
was  to  give  a  continuous 
glass  surface.  Old  mirrors, 
becoming  a  little  shaky,  are 
very  liable  to  let  the  upper 
glass  slip  down.  Hence  many 
were  broken. 
The  wood  of  this  frame  is  somewhat  bleached,  showing  how  light  walnut 
may  gain  a  quite  charming  color.  In  this  connection  it  is  worth  consider- 
ing that  new  English  walnut  is  by  no  means  so  much  lighter  than  our 
northern  black  walnut  as  to  make  the  distinction  always  easy. 
Unbleached  black  walnut,  however,  is  very  dark,  and  unless  it  were  exposed 
to  brilliant  light  for  a  long  period  it  would  not  bleach,  naturally,  to  a 
great  extent. 


I514I 


A  MOST  interesting  looking 
glass,  belonging  to  Mr.  Chauncey 
C.  Nash.  It  has  in  the  upper 
section,  instead  of  glass,  a 
wooden  panel,  on  which  is  re- 
presented a  ship  in  full  sail.  The 
colors  are  now  very  quiet  but 
entirely  distinct.  All  parts  are 
original.  The  date  is  about  1710. 

We  see  in  this  glass  an  in- 
teresting prototype  of  the 
immensely  popular  i8th  and 
early  19th  Century  mirrors, 
bearing  painted  representations 
of  ships,  and  everything  con- 
ceivable on  the  upper  glass,  the 
painting  being  doneoatheunder 
side.  Here,  on  a  wood  panel, 
was  possibly  the  inspiration  of 
some  of  the  later  work. 

The  use  of  wood  as  a  ground 
for  pictures  is  extremely  early. 
Though  at  first  thought  it  seems 
not  to  be  a  suitable  substance, 
yet  the  mutations  of  years  have 
proved  that  it  has  some  great 
advantages.  The  work  done  on 
it  is  more  permanent  than  that 
on  glass  or  canvas.  Though  the 
surface  may  scale  the  subject  is 
never  utterly  destroyed. 

Of  course  the  painting  on 
glass  was  an  easy  substitute  for  cutting,  and  being  brighter  it  appealed  to 
the  declining  taste  on  which  it  rode  to  popularity.  The  tops  of  long  glasses 
were  too  high  to  be  useful,  hence  they  were  made  ornamental.  We  may 
presume  that,  in  case  a  clear  glass  was  used  in  the  upper  section,  the  intention 
was  to  have  the  glass  low  enough  to  secure  the  benefit  of  its  entire  length. 


I  515] 


AN  exquisite 
specimen  of  a  great 
mirror  of  about 
1740  which  closes, 
perhaps,  too  late, 
our  period.  The 
property  of  the 
author.  The  hight 
is  69  inches. 

The  gradual  sha- 
ding off  of  mirrors 
in  this  style  from 
the  early  Queen 
Anne  to  the  Geor- 
gian, without  a  ra- 
dical change,  is  a 
case  of  persistence 
of  a  beautiful  type. 
One  must  get  the 
date  from  details 
rather  than  the 
general  contour. 
The  earlier  mirrors 
had  two  glasses, 
and  the  bird  or 
other  design  was 
cut  in  the  upper 
glass. 

In  this  mirror 
the  carving  im- 
mediately about 
the  glass  is  incised 
in  the  wood  oi  the 
frame.  The  other 
carvings  are  ap- 
plied. 


[S16I 


A  MIRROR  of  which 
the  bill  is  still  preserved  in 
the  Griswold  family  where 
it  still  is  in  Connecticut. 
It  was  bought  in  Venice,  in 
1737,  and  so  absolutely 
fixes  the  date  at  which  this 
beautiful  style  attained  its 
finest  proportions. 

From  the  crest  of  the 
bird  to  the  bottom  of  the 
mirror  the  measurement  is 
78  inches!  It  is  the  finest 
example  of  its  type  with 
which  we  are  acquainted. 
All  parts  are  original.  While 
such  mirrors  were  made  in 
England  and  presumably 
here,  the  source  of  the  pat- 
tern is  made  clear  by  this 
piece.  As  it  has  been  here 
ever  since  it  was  made,  we 
venture  to  include  it. 

Of  course  the  material 
is  walnut.  Before  the  com- 
ing to  light  of  the  date 
of  this  mirror  it  would 
probably  have  been  placed 
later.  The  elegant  and  the 
rich  in  all  sorts  of  furnish- 
ings may  be  looked  for  any- 
time after  1700.  The  public 
taste  was  probably  as  good 
in  furniture  at  that  period, 
as  it  ever  was.  The  time 
of  poverty  had  passed. 
Painting  flourished.  Ex- 
quisite work  was  produced  in 
nearly  all  the  arts.  Amer- 
ica, removed  from  the  seats 
of  culture,  bought  well. 


IS17I 


l5i8 


'! 


519 


ON  page  518  is  a  fine  early  example  of  a  Queen  Anne  mirror,  of  date 
1720-40.  It  is  above  five  feet  high.  Owner:  the  author.  It  is  all  original 
except  the  feather  ornament. 

On  page  519  are  two  looking  glasses  belonging  to  Mr.  Francis  Hill  Bige- 
low.  Their  date  is  about  1720-40.  That  on  the  left  is  in  walnut,  the  frame 
being  I'pi  inches  wide,  gilt  inside,  and  with  a  gilt  shell.  The  glass  is  14^ 
by483<. 

The  other  example  belonging  to  the  same  owner  has  a  molded  pine  frame, 
i^  inches  in  size.    The  glass  is  16  by  40  inches. 

The  frame  is  grained  in  imitation  of  rosewood.  It  is  gilt  inside.  The 
stencilling  in  gilt  was  probably  added  in  the  19th  Century. 

The  mirror  on  page  516  is  69  inches  in  hight,  and  is  original  except 
the  bird.  The  wood  is  mahogany.  All  carved  parts  are  gilded.  It  is  owned 
by  the  author. 

Such  mirrors  must  have  required  at  least  ten-foot  ceilings.  In  an  ordinary 
colonial  house  the  bottom  comes  very  near  the  floor. 

Date:  I73S-50- 

With  this  we  close  our  treatment  of  mirrors,  which  really  should  have  a 
volume  by  themselves.  But  the  designs  confined  to  the  Pilgrim  Century 
are  limited  and  it  seems  better  to  show  them  here,  with  a  few  exhibiting 
the  flowering  of  taste  into  the  richer,  larger  designs  toward  the  middle  of 
the  18th  Century. 


Mirrors  in  very  small  forms  were  used  in  the  i6th  and  possibly  in  the 
17th  century  as  decorations  on  the  person.  They  were  attached  to  the 
trimming  of  gowns  to  catch  the  light.  The  efi^ect  must  have  been  striking. 
Allusion  to  such  use  is  made  by  Shakespeare  and  others. 

Little  mirrors  for  shaving,  too  plain  to  require  illustration,  are  yet  very 
quaint.  The  use  of  oak  for  mirror  frames  is  found  in  England  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  time.  The  frames  were  well  carved.  Examples  are  shown  in 
Benn,  "Style  in  Furniture." 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Plymouth  pilgrims  had  looking  glasses 
to  any  extent,  for  many  years  after  landing. 

The  Puritans,  however,  owned  many.  More  than  twenty  are  named  in 
Essex  County  inventories  before  1664  and  more  than  thirty  in  the  next 
ten  years.  As  this  was  the  era  before  walnut  we  much  wish  to  know  what 
the  glasses  were  like. 


I  520] 


A  LARGE  home  room  furnished  as  of  the  date  1700  or  thereabout.  The 
court  cupboard  answered  for  a  sideboard. 

The  various  appurtenances  of  the  fireplace,  Hke  the  warming  pan,  with 
iron  handle,  the  earlier  sort,  the  weighted  jack  for  turning  the  roast;  Pil- 
grim chairs;  chests;  and  general  household  gear,  are  set  forth. 


The  atmosphere  of  continuous  occupation  by  the  same  family,  the  great 
charm  of  an  old  home,  is  highly  important  in  forming  a  mellow  habit  of 
mind.  We  need  an  historical  perspective  and  unless  we  gain  it  we  are  like 
nomads  in  the  desert. 

Dignity  becomes  the  home  of  men.  They  have  fought  their  battle  through 
unknown  ages.  They  have  mastered  so  many  sources  of  power  and  beauty, 
and  arrived  at  so  much  knowledge  that  they  deserve  to  honor  themselves 
with  something  better  than  riches.  That  something  is  to  surround  them- 
selves with  the  rich  past  in  order  to  make  the  present  richer.  Hitherto  in 
America  we  have  lost  what  is  behind  us  as  rapidly  as  we  have  gained  what 
is  before  us.  The  real  wealth  of  life  is  to  keep  the  best  of  the  past,  because 
manhood  means  more  than  ruining  one  age  to  build  another. 

I521I 


IN  the  17th  Century,  at  least  in  the 
part  of  it  when  oak  was  stiil  king  of 
woods,  we  had  not  in  America  arrived 
at  any  such  pitch  of  diversity  in  civil- 
ization as  to  make  clocks.  We  must 
content  ourselves  with  at  least  one 
type  of  English  clock,  the  bird  cage, 
otherwise  called  the  sheep's  head, 
from  the  shape  of  the  wood  bracket 
on  which  it  was  placed.  This  clock 
was  built  with  the  bob  pendulum,  in 
use  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  17th 
Century.  It  was  adapted  to  the  long 
pendulum,  which  came  into  use  more 
or  less  in  the  last  decade  of  the 
century.  These  clocks  had  but  one 
hand,  the  spaces  being  marked  so  that 
one  could  tell  the  time  within  five  or 
ten  minutes. 

The  works  were  brass  and  the  fret 
work  in  various  patterns  is  the  means 
by  which  the  age  is  determined.  This 
clock  belongs  to  the  author,  dates 
about  1640,  and  has  been  shown  in 
several  previous  volumes.  It  has  been 
in  America  a  great  many  years.  It  was 
the  invention  of  the  long  pendulum, 
keeping  better  time,  that  induced  the 
making  of  tall  clock  cases  to  protect 
the  weights  from  meddling.  They  were  too  tempting  for  a  child  to  resist. 
The  first  dock  cases  made  in  America  were  probably  of  pine,  and  very 
simple.  Some  cases  remain  which  are  of  uncertain  date,  bordering  the 
time  of  the  incoming  i8th  Century.  They  are  very  crude,  being  merely 
for  protection  to  the  clockworks.  The  idea  of  decorating  these  cases, 
however,  was  too  appealing.  Eventually,  a  family  had  a  decorated  clock 
case,  though  the  entire  house  might  contain  nothing  else  as  good. 


(  522  ] 


AN  interesting  and  odd 
Clock,  probably  of  Knicker- 
bocker origin.  The  face  is 
carved;  the  entire  front  about 
the  face  being  of  one  piece 
with  it.  There  is  a  music  box 
above.  On  the  hour  a  tune  is 
played  on  the  zither  which  is 
strung  on  the  back,  below  the 
face,  protected  by  open  scroll 
work  carving.  There  are  a 
multiplicity  of  weights  and  as 
each  has  two  cords  we  have  a 
whole  battery  of  lines  running 
down  the  front.  We  have  no 
accurate  means  of  dating  this 
clock.  It  belongs  to  the 
author;  was  brought  many 
years  ago  from  New  York  to 
Providence  and  is  in  good  run- 
ning order.  The  color  is  a  dull 
orange,  some  sort  of  paint 
having  been  used  to  give  an 
appearance  of  mellowness.  It 
is  all  original.  It  requires  to 
be  hung  high  on  the  wall,  to 
give  room  enough  for  the  long 
range  of  the  weights. 

Some  European  musical 
clocks  are  very  ancient  indeed. 

The  watch,  invented  at 
Niiremberg  about  1500,  was  a 
Pilgrim  possession.  A  wooden 
wall  holder  for  a  watch  is 
not  infrequently  found.  It 
was  made  with  a  circular 
opening     through    which   the 

face  of  the  watch  showed.  Sundials  were  common.  Crude  marks  on  a 
window  ledge  sometimes  served  instead.  They  were  accurate  twice  a 
year,  and  by  a  little  calculation  were  made  to  answer  for  the  entire  year. 


(523 1 


A  "DUTCH"  Clock. 
Owner:     Mr.     L.     C. 

Flynt,  Monson,  Mass- 
achusetts. This  clock 
may  serve  to  represent  a 
large  family  under  this 
name.  They  are  exceed- 
ingly quaint.  The  pen- 
dulum is  short.  They 
date  late  in  the  17th  and 
early  in  the  i8th  Century. 

The  rather  elaborate 
example  here  shows  all 
the  usual  features — the 
pewter  ornaments  in  great 
number,  the  turned  wood- 
en feet,  the  mermaid,  and 
the  hood  or  roof  which  is 
sometimes  omitted. 

We  make  no  attempt 
at  showing  later  clocks; 
nor  can  we  find  any  17th 
Century  clocks  of  Ameri- 
can make.  Leads  which 
we  have  followed  dis- 
closed, later  on,  European 
clocks. 

That  is  to  say  our 
American  tall  clock  in  a 
17th  Century  setting  is 
an  anachronism.  That 
some  American  clock 
cases  exist,  made  before 
1720,  one  cannot  suc- 
cessfully dispute. 

Their  works,  however, 
are  presumably  not  na- 
tive. A  simple  Dutch 
clock,  called  a  "wag-on- 
the  wall"  was  the  most 
popular  style  of  early 
clocks. 


I  524) 


A  KITCHEN  of  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  Century.  Makes  clear  the 
method  of  treating  the  fireplace  when  the  bricks  were  not  left  exposed. 
Here  the  drawing  in  of  the  bricks  above  the  chimney  tree  permitted  a  wood 
finish.  As  we  are  soon  to  take  up  the  matter  of  hardware  we  now  call  at- 
tention to  the  fireplace  furniture.  In  this  case  there  is  no  crane,  but  a  pole 
above  the  line  of  the  chimney  tree. 

The  cooking  was  done  in  two  ovens  opening  diagonally  in  the  rear  of  the 
fireplace.  It  is  supposed  that  the  designation  of  this  house  for  a  garrison 
is  responsible  for  the  two  rather  than  one  oven.  On  opening  the  cupboard 
doors  one  may  see  the  bee  hive  shape  of  the  ovens. 

One  should  not  look  for  the  side  oven  with  its  separate  flue  and  fire  box, 
until  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  The  crane  also  gradually  c'ame  into 
more  general  use,  as  it  "saved  the  face"  of  the  fair  housewife.  Hence  the 
hanging  of  the  crane  (which  could  be  shipped  in  or  out  at  pleasure)  signified 
not  only  the  setting  up  of  a  new  family,  but  a  gallant  act  on  the  part  of 
the  husband  to  save  his  wife  from  broiling  herself  with  the  dinner  over  the 
fire,  as  was  necessary  with  the  lug  pole.  The  scene  is  in  the  Hazen  Gar- 
rison House,  Haverhill. 


I  525] 


THREE  little  wall  contrivances.  The  wider  one  could  have  been  used 
for  candles  on  a  pipe  box.  Such  little  wall  pieces  are  very  good  adjuncts 
in  the  furnishing  of  a  house  with  antique  objects.  Sometimes  baskets  are 
designed  to  hang  against  the  wall,  like  pockets.  Little  spice  boxes,  boxes 
to  hold  the  scouring  brick,  boxes  for  candles  and  for  pipes  and  tobacco, 
and  many  other  purposes,  were  used. 

Where  an  early  house  lacked  pictures,  as  most  did,  conveniences  of  the 
above  sort  assisted  in  the  furnishing  as  well  as  the  decoration.  Thc^e  was 
usually  small  closet  room  in  17th  Century  houses.  The  kitchens  lacking 
our  kitchenettes,  were  arranged  something  like  a  ship's  galley,  with  the 
utensils  arrayed  about  the  walls.  Tin  sconces,  brooms,  the  implements 
of  the  chase,  also  contributed  to  the  numerous  list,  until  the  walls  of  a  thrifty 
householder's  kitchen  looked  like  an  assemblage  of  the  movable  family 
property.  It  is  often  impossible  to  know  the  special  use  of  an  ancient 
article.  We  must  presume  that  all  little  wall  pieces  were  made  for  a  par- 
ticular purpose.  When  one  does  not  know  he  naturally  takes  refuge  in 
the  term  spice  box.    But  candle  boxes  of  wood  were  also  common. 

The  loss  of  numerous  articles,  and  their  names  also  from  our  common 
life,  makes  it  more  difficult  to  understand  many  passages  in  early  litera- 
ture. We  lose  the  local  tang.  The  next  dictionary  maker  should  care- 
fully go  through  a  museum  of  utensils. 

The  small  wall  pieces,  when  simple,  were  usually  of  pine.  When  more 
elaborate  they  often  appear  in  walnut. 


[526] 


PIPE  boxes,  a  hanging  box  and  an  hour  glass,  owned  by  Mr.  Arthur  W. 
Wellington.  The  pipe  box  was  a  very  decorative  piece.  It  was  invariably 
made  to  hang  upon  the  wall  and  usually  in  two  vertical  divisions. 

Others  are  shown  in  this  work. 

The  little  hanging  box  is  initialled  and  dated.  It  is  too  early  for  matches 
and  its  use  is  not  known,  but  it  would  have  been  convenient  for  many 
purposes. 

The  hour  glass  is  made  in  two  parts.  While  such  pieces  usually  go  by 
the  name  hour  glass,  a  sand  glass  is  the  proper  term.  They  were  more  often 
regulated  for  one,  three  or  fifteen  minutes  than  for  an  hour,  and  are  found 
very  convenient  today. 

Below  are  five  different  devices  for  striking  fire,  all  the  property  of  Mr. 
H.  W.  Erving.  The  first  on  the  left  is  the  usual  tinder  box,  with  the  place 
for  the  candle.  It  contains  a  piece  of  flint,  a  piece  of  steel  and  a  piece  of  tow. 
The  next  two  pieces  are  to  be  carried  in  the  pocket  and  are  very  daintily 
chased.  The  next  is  a  combination  knife  and  pick  and  sparker.  The  wheel 
sparker  at  the  right  was  used  by  striking  metal  against  the  revolving  wheel 
and  thus  dashing  a  spark  into  the  tow. 


[527] 


ON  the  right  is  an  unusual  pipe  box  belonging  to  Mr.  H.  W.  Erving. 
There  is  a  long,  deep  vertical  partition  in  the  back,  into  which  were  stuck 
the  church  warden  pipes  whose  long,  slender  stems  demanded  a  specially 
safe  place.     At  the  bottom  is  the  tobacco  drawer. 

On  the  right  of  this  box  is  a  good  example  of  pipe  tongs.  One  cleaned  out 
the  pipe  with  the  nail-like  piece,  which  also  served  as  a  guide  for  the  prongs. 
The  tongs  were  to  seize  a  coal  for  lighting  the  pipe.  The  flat  thumb  piece, 
at  the  end  of  the  goose  neck,  was  for  pressing  the  tobacco  into  the  bowl. 
Fine  pipe  tongs  are  among  the  rarest  articles  found. 

The  pipe  box  on  the  left  belongs  to  the  Metropolitan  Museum.  These 
boxes  date  from  the  earliest  settlement  to  a  time  near  the  close  of  the  i8th 
Century.  They  are  often  of  pine,  but  later  maple,  cherry  and  mahogany 
appeared.  No  two  are  alike.  Good  ones  are  rather  rare  and  are  now 
eagerly  sought.  The  drawer  always  has  a  small  handle,  generally  of  wood. 
There  are  sometimes  two  pockets  for  pipes.  The  kitchen  was  at  once,  in 
small  houses,  the  den,  the  nursery,  the  living  room,  the  library  and  the 
dining  room. 


I528I 


A  List  of  Odd  Names  of  Early  Utensils 

Alchemy.     A  mixed  metal  like  brass,  for  spoons,  etc. 

Beaker.     A  large  drinking  vessel  with  a  wide  mouth. 

Chafing-dish.     A  vessel  to  hold  coals  for  heating  food. 

Cob  irons.     Small  andirons. 

Cotterel  or  cottrel.     A  small  iron  window-bolt. 

Cowl  or  cowle.     A  cowl-shaped  covering  for  a  chimney  to  avoid  smoke. 

Creeper.     A  low  patten  worn  by  women. 

Dial  case.     For  a  sun-  or  possibly  a  clock-dial. 

Fire  dogs.     Small  andirons.     Cob  irons. 

Fire  pan.     A  vessel  to  carry  fire. 

//flicAt'Z— hetchel,  hackle,  heckle.     Iron  teeth  for  cleaning  flax. 

Hake.     A  hook,  especially  a  pot-hook. 

Hanger.     A  short  sword;  also  a  pot-hook. 

Keeler.     A  small  shallow  tub. 

Lattenware.     Made  of  mixed  copper  and  zinc.     Like  brass. 

Noggin.     A  mug  of  wood. 

Peel.     A  long,  flat  shovel  of  wood  or  iron,  for  handling  food  in  ovens. 

Pipkin.     A  small  wooden  tub,  with  a  prolonged  stave  for  handle. 

Porringer.  A  small,  handled  basin  of  pewter,  iron  or  silver,  for  por- 
ridge, etc. 

Posnet.     A  small  vessel  like  a  porringer,  or  more  fanciful. 

Pottle.     A  two-quart  measure,  for  liquors,  etc. 

Runlet.     A  small  barrel  of  i8  gallons. 

Skillet.     A  small  metal  vessel  with  long  handle  and  legs. 

Slice.     Same  as  peel  (above). 

Tankard.     A  drinking  vessel,  larger  than  a  cup,  and  generally  covered. 

Tap.     A  wooden  faucet. 

Trammel.     An  adjustable  pot-hook,  with  holes  or  saw-teeth. 

Trencher.     A  plate,  usually  of  wood. 

Voider.     A  tray  or  basket  for  clearing  a  table. 

Warming  pan.  Usually  of  brass,  with  cover  and  handle.  Used  with 
coals  for  moving  about  in  a  bed  to  make  it  tolerably  warm. 

We  have,  in  the  above  list,  omitted  all  modern  well-known  names. 
There  were  many  utensils  whose  names  are  contained  in  no  dictionary,  and 
whose  very  use  is  now  unknown.  The  inventories  take  it  for  granted 
that  the  names  will  be  understood.  Invention  proceeded  so  rapidly  that 
an  old  world  was  lost. 


I529I 


TURNINGS.  That  on  the  left  shows  the 
turned  portion  of  the  leg  of  the  gate-leg  in 
the  Albany  Historical  Society,  which  has  four 
gates.  The  size  of  the  corner  posts  is  two 
and  seven-eighths  inches.  The  inner,  or  gate 
legs,  are  smaller.  The  ancient  turnings  were 
strong  and  bold  rather  than  delicate.  This 
arose  from  the  crudeness  of  the  lathes  of  the 
period.  Yet  in  some  instances  the  approach 
to  delicacy  was  very  close,  and  a  great 
achievement  considering  the  handicap.  Very 
small  articles  could  not  be  turned.  The  age 
favored  solidity. 

The  earliest  traditions  of  furniture  turning 
followed  the  Gothic.  The  prototypes  of  all 
the  fine  examples  of  wood  turning  may  be 
found  in  the  pillars,  windows  or  screens  of 
cathedrals. 

Flat  turnings  for  comfort  in  chair  construc- 
tion were  not  rare,  in  the  arms  and  the  back. 

Turning  came  to  be  a  fashion,  almost  a  fad. 

Hence  half  turnings,  otherwise  called  drops, 
or  split  spindles,  and  bosses  were  applied  on 
stair  posts,  cupboards,  chests,  chests  of  draw- 
ers, and  various  other  articles.  In  fact, 
wherever  there  was  a  space  where  applied 
turnings  could  be  used,  they  were  used,  at 
the  end  of  the  17th  Century.  It  was  com- 
mon to  turn  finials  on  stair  posts,  and  prob- 
ably bed  posts  except  where  the  construction 
demanded  that  the  body  of  the  post  should 
be  square.  The  happiest  effects,  and  unfor- 
tunately the  rarest,  were  in  the  turnings  of 
standards  for  candle  stands.  The  so-called 
square  turnings  on  stair  posts  were  taken 
bodily  from  cathedral  finials. 

It  is  curious  that  the  applied  turnings  did 
not  come  into  vogue  on  looking  glasses  till  a 
hundred  and  twenty  years  later.  It  appears 
that,  before  our  time,  discursive  minds 
wandered  back  to  early  styles  and  revived 
such  as  seemed  worthy. 
I  5.10  ] 


,:..-i. 


A  BURL  Bowl,  probably  of  maple.  Owner:  the  author.  The  extraordi- 
nary character  of  the  piece,  owing  to  its  size,  the  diameter  being  23  inches, 
also  its  having  ears  carved  upon  it ,  and  the  great  beauty  of  the  wood ,  renders 
it  highly  important.  It  is  presumed  that  the  Indians  found  here  by  our  an- 
cestors, carved  bowls  like  this,  and  that  our  ancestors  imitated  them.  It  is 
known,  however,  that  they  are  made  abroad  also.  The  object  of  using  the 
burl  which  is  a  growth — resulting  from  a  wound  on  the  trunk  ot  a  tree,  rather 
than  a  root  or  a  knot,  was  to  secure  a  material  which  would  not  split.  The 
grain  is  wholly  distinct  from  that  found  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree;  it  is  snarled 
in  every  direction.  Of  course  much  beauty  also  attaches  to  the  finished 
piece,  owing  to  the  grain,  and  a  copy  of  it  would  make  a  beautiful  wall  paper 
design.    The  date  may  be  any  early  period. 

Below  is  a  similar  small  bowl  and  a  scoop  of  the  same  material,  from  the 
author's  collection. 


I531I 


1 


A  SERIES  of  Utensils.  The  great  mortar  is  rough  shaped  and  is  almost 
all  a  man  can  lift.  In  such  mortars  the  corn  was  pounded  if  a  mill  was  not 
available.  Ordinary  mortars,  turned  and  unturned,  are  on  the  right  and 
left.  The  shovel  is  large,  and  all  of  wood.  The  bowl  beneath  it  is  of  burl. 
The  handled  vessel  was  used  for  dipping  water.  It  is  called  a  dipper. 
The  knife,  blade  outward,  in  a  haft,  is  nfroe.  It  was  placed  on  the  end  of  a 
straight-grained  small  log  of  oak  or  ash  with  the  point  of  the  knife  at  the 
center.  A  blow  with  a  great  mallet,  followed  by  successive  changes  in 
position  of  the  froe  as  a  pie  is  cut  in  wedges,  resulted  in  making  clapboards, 
thin  at  one  edge. 

All  the  early  clapboards  were  made  in  this  manner,  and  the  writer  has  a 
nice  bunch  of  oak  clapboards  made  to  test  the  matter.  After  the  splitting 
one  or  both  surfaces  could  be  smoothed  by  a  draw  knife.  As  soon  as  our 
ancestors  learned  that  they  could  shave  pine  shingles  more  rapidly  than  they 
could  make  clapboards,  they  did  so.  The  shingles  were  more  durable. 
On  the  rear  of  the  John  Alden  side  wall  they  are  probably  original.  The 
long  shingle  is  quainter.  It  could  be  used  only  where  the  best  straight- 
grained  pine  was  found.  We  frequently  see  long  shingles  on  modern 
houses  but  unless  they  are  shaved  they  will  not  be  durable.  The  sawed 
shingle  is  cut  always  somewhat,  and  often  very  much,  across  the  grain. 


(53- 


A  PAGE  of  burl  bowls,  accompanied  by  quaint  wooden  spoons  or  ladles. 
The  property  of  Mr.  Albert  C.  Bates,  of  Hartford.  The  little  instruments 
between  the  bowls,  above,  are  Indian  tools,  consisting  of  minute  parallel 
knives,  for  stripping  up  wood  for  basket  work.  The  Indians  made  bowls 
and  the  settlers  learned  from  them.  It  is  often  impossible  to  say  whether 
an.  object  is  of  Indian  make  or  not.     The  bowl  below  has  a  decorated  edge. 


H 


S33  ] 


THE  room  is  the  old  kitchen  in  the  Cooper-Austin  House,  the  oldest 
house  in  Cambridge,  and  in  the  ownership  of  the  Society  for  the  Preservation 
of  New  England  Antiquities.  It  shows  a  vast  fire  place.  The  Society's 
seven  houses  are,  sad  to  say,  at  present  rather  bare  of  early  furniture. 
In  time  that  lack  may  be  remedied. 

There  seem  inseparable  difficulties  at  the  present  time  to  the  gathering  of 
proper  furniture  of  the  pilgrim  period  in  a  proper  house.  There  is  furniture, 
and  there  are  houses,  and  there  are  persons  interested  in  one  or  the  other. 
To  our  thought  a  museum  is  not  a  satisfactory  place  for  the  exhibition  of 
such  furniture.  It  should  appear  in  its  natural  home.  The  home  thereby 
becomes  attractive  and  the  furniture  no  longer  looks  queer  and  out  of  place. 
Not  until  we  abandon  the  thought  of  catering  to  persons  who  must  be  pleased, 
as  the  saying  goes,  shall  we  get  down  to  the  scientific  assembling  in  a  charm- 
ing unity  of  the  furniture  in  the  house,  neither  to  be  accepted  unless  each  is 
thoroughly  right.  Otherwise  we  shall  learn  little,  and  the  objects  so 
desirable  will  not  be  attained. 


I  534] 


ON  the  right  is  the  Parlor,  no  longer  thus  furnished,  of  the  Iron  Works 
house,  Saugus.  The  fireplace  opens  nearly  ten  feet,  and  the  room  being  a 
parlor,  the  fireplace  \yas  plastered  inside  and  the  inside  corners  were  rounded. 
The  great  chimney  trees  of  such  houses  were  of  oak,  sometimes  more  than 
twenty  inches  through  vertically.  Where,  as  here,  the  hearth  was  of 
brick  tile  we  can  understand  that  a  chair  moved  back  and  forth  upon  it  for 
a  hundred  years  would  wear  down  to  the  rungs. 

The  other  picture  shows  a  spinning  attic  in  the  Wentworth-Gardner  house. 
Herbs  were  hung  about  the  sides  of  attics.  This  attic  over  the  main  hall 
aff^orded  fine  facilities  for  carrying  on  the  spinning,  though  the  heat  of 
summer  and  the  cold  of  winter  were  not  escaped. 

The  walls  of  this  room  are  paneled  sheathing.  The  furniture  is  some- 
what late  for  our  purposes. 

Below  are  a  set  of  fine  lanterns,  the  property  of  Mr.  Rudolph  Pauly. 


[535  1 


THE  means  of  locomotion  in  the 
early  part  of  the  pilgrim  century  were 
limited  to  boats  and  to  "shanks' 
mare."  The  pretty  fiction  of  Long- 
fellow, in  placing  Priscilla  on  a  led 
bull,  was  not  intended,  we  imagine, 
to  be  taken  for  a  gloss  on  pilgrim 
customs.  Bulls  were  worked  in  the 
yoke,  but  were  hardly  available  for 
riding.  The  boats  did  not  help 
much  inland  from  the  New  England 
coast,  except  on  the  Charles  and  the 
Connecticut.  Edward  Winslowwent 
on  foot  when  he  visited  the  Narra- 
gansetts.  Snow  shoes,  with  "gaiters" 
attached,  an  ancient  pair,  are  above. 
A  shovel  in  quartered  oak,  though 
worn,  still  does  good  work.  The 
churn  was  handed  down  in  the  Alden 
family.  The  barrel,  probably  worked 
out  from  a  hollow  tree,  would  have 
been  scorned  by  John  Alden,  who  was  a  cooper  by  trade.  For  a  description 
of  the  quaint  subject  on  the  left  we  refer  to  the  next  page. 

1536  1 


THIS  great  Burl  Bowl  is  somewhat  like  a  hat  in  shape.  It  has  ears  worked 
upon  it  from  the  solid  wood.  It  belongs  to  Mr.  Albert  C.  Bates.  The 
object  of  cutting  a  bowl  from  a  burl  was  to  escape  the  danger  of  splitting. 

Burl  is  the  result  of  loss  of  orderly  impulse  in  the  tree,  so  that  the  grain 
is  like  a  tangle. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  preceding  page  is  a  smoke  jack,  such  as  was  used 
to  turn  the  spit.  The  scrolling  of  the  face  plate  is  quite  elaborate.  The 
handle  shows  how  it  was  wound  up.  The  chain  belt  is  not  shown.  The 
object  of  the  wheel  at  the  top  was  to  give  it  a  spin  after  winding,  for  the 
weight  was  carefully  graduated  so  as  merely  to  keep  the  spit  moving  very 
slowly.  See  another  sort  on  page  548.  We  have  here  a  worm  gear,  so  much 
heralded  in  automobiles  now.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  human  inventions. 
There  was  a  clock  work  jack  invented  and  patented  by  Simon  Willard,  the 
famous  clockmaker,  but  at  a  very  much  later  date,  for  a  vertical  tin  or 
copper  oven.  The  spiders  had  very  long  handles,  to  keep  one  away  from 
the  blaze.  The  Dutch  oven  was  a  cast  iron  pot  with  a  cast  cover.  It  was 
placed  on  the  coals;  coals  were  also  heaped  on  top  of  it,  so  that  the  bread 
could  be  cooked  evenly.  Hence  the  phrase,  "between  two  fires."  At  the 
very  first,  some  fireplaces  had  no  brick  ovens.  Everything  was  cooked 
in  or  on  the  fire. 

Boiling  was  a  much  more  usual  method  of  cooking  than  now.  As  in 
Europe  our  fathers  cast  into  a  great  pot  whatever  edible  things  they  found, 
to  flavor  the  contents  or  to  add  to  its  strength.    It  was  all  in  "one  boiling." 


[537 


ON  the  left  is  a  barrel  of  red-elm 
bark,  belonging  to  Mr.  Albert  C.  Bates. 
It  is  said  the  Indians  used  such  articles. 
The  wood  ofhollowed  out  barrels  which 
has  been  called  hornbeam,  is  beech  or 
birch.     They  were  once  not  uncommon. 

Below  are  four  pairs  of  bellows. 
One  pair  is  flat,  without  decoration. 
One  pair  has  a  turned  ornament.  A 
third  pair  has  stencilled  ornaments. 
The  fourth  pair  has  a  convex  face  and 
is  well  decorated  with  stencil  work. 
This  is  the  best  sort.  Bellows  were  a 
necessity  with  open  fires.  They  add 
much  to  the  furniture  of  the  fireplace, 
especially  since  they  are  useful   now. 


Great  kettles  of  iron  or  brass  were  a  necessity  in  every  family.  It  required, 
unless  there  was  a  crane,  two  strong  persons  with  a  pole  to  remove  the  great 
kettle  from  the  fire.    Those  were  "the  days  of  real  sport." 

The  carrying  of  fire  from  house  to  house  arose  merely  from  improvidence 
in  keeping  dry  tinder.  More  use  for  the  fire  carriers  was  found  in  taking 
coals  from  room  to  room,  for  fires  in  the  various  fireplaces. 


I  538] 


.11 


THE  ordinary  wall  sconce  in  use  for  generations  beginning  soon  after 
the  country  was  settled  is  shown  above  in  three  styles  of  painted  tin.  It 
had  the  advantage  of  safety,  convenience  of  moving,  and  cheapness.  Some- 
times these  sconces  were  decorated  with  stencil  or  other  painting. 

The  iron  vessel  is  a  cast  Betty  lamp.  They  are  less  common  than  the  tin 
or  hammered  iron.  The  saucer  base  was  designed  to  catch  the  drip.  A 
hinged  cover  had  a  small  opening  at  the  lip  end,  where  the  wick  protruded. 

The  little  wooden  wall  box  with  door  and  drawer  is  a  fine  example  of  the 
undefinable  home  made  articles  that  gave  charm  and  individuality.  The 
little  row  of  decorative  knobs  was  whittled  out. 

Below  is  a  series  of  articles,  which  require  no  explanation. 


I  539] 


HARDWARE  preserved  from  St.  Stephen's  Church,  East  Haddam, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Morgan  B.  Brainard,  of  Hartford,  interested  himself  to  see  that 
this  hardware  was  preserved,  before  the  church  perished.  He  has  now 
mounted  as  above  all  the  hardware  on  the  doors  of  the  church.  While  the 
period  is  not  very  early,  there  was  less  change  in  hardware  than  in  furniture, 
from  the  17th  to  the  i8th  Century.  The  Episcopal  Society  which  erected 
the  church  was  organized  in  1791.  The  edifice  was  finally  completed  in 
1795,  and  consecrated  by  Bishop  Seabury. 

The  long  push  bar  and  the  hinges  are  especially  good.  A  handle  like  this 
we  show  elsewhere.  We  see  here  the  transition  from  the  plain  guard  and 
striker,  driven  directly  into  a  door,  to  the  same  pieces  mounted  on  a  plate 
and  attached  by  nails  or  screws.  By  this  date  screws  were  generally  used 
in  domestic  architecture. 

I  540  ] 


1-61 


1-7 A- 


1-GZ 


1-63 


THE  Hinge  8i  is  a  ram's  horn.  It  is  a  simplified  form  of  74,  which  in 
turn  is  greatly  simplified  from  the  scrolled  Renaissance  hinges  so  often  found 
in  Europe  but  not  known  in  our  Colonial  hardware. 

62  and  63  are  two  forms  of  the  cock's  comb  hinge.  On  the  left  the  example 
is  hackled  on  the  neck.  The  other  form  is  slighter  and  more  angular,  but 
more  generally  found. 

The  cock's  comb  hinge  was  often  made  of  cast  brass.  Its  more  usual 
application  was  on  small  cupboard  doors.  But  at  least  one  house  which  the 
author  has  visited  had  this  hinge  on  all  the  room  doors.  It  varies  in  length 
from  three  to  eight  inches.  It  is  never  found  except  on  good  woodwork,  as 
it  was  considered  a  refinement  and  somewhat  of  a  luxury. 

None  of  these  hinges  were  common.  The  upper  examples  were  used  with 
gudgeons,  which  were  never  ground  but  merely  hammered. 

The  fastening  was  by  hand  wrought  nails.  It  was  custom  to  use  a  bit  of 
leather,  through  which  the  nail  was  driven  to  secure  a  binding  fit.  This 
system  is  found  in  the  best  houses,  as  is  also  the  clenching  of  the  nails  on  the 
opposite  side. 


(S4il 


fi:     III 


5i;Ptli&lM^^~'^M^i^ 


'1        I,  'l      0!i     '<       I'      i^I^mA'.I 


l-Zl 


1-3  i 

THE  Hinge  21  is  made  with  an  offset  on  the  short  end  of  about  an  inch, 
or  whatever  the  thickness  of  the  material  was  to  which  attachment  was 
made.  It  is  called  a  chest  hinge,  though  the  usual  chest  hinge  on  American 
work  was  a  pin  hinge,  like  the  cotter  pin,  two  loops  of  tapered  wire  or  larger 
iron  hooked  together. 

The  regular  chest  hinge  above  is  occasionally  found  on  cupboards,  or 
wherever  it  was  desired  to  lift  the  door  as  well  as  to  open  it.  The  European 
varieties  of  these  hinges  are  sometimes  richly  wrought  with  intricate  scrolled 
patterns.  In  32  we  have  a  very  ancient  example  used  still  in  the  same  form. 
The  gudgeon  is  ragged,  that  is  hacked  to  form  small  barbs,  so  that,  once 
driven  into  the  wood  it  cannot  easily  be  removed.  The  more  elaborate 
gudgeon,  38,  is  furnished  with  a  scrolled  end,  in  blacksmith's  parlance  a 
pigtail.  It  is  not  exclusively  ornamental,  as  a  nail  was  driven  into  the  flat 
to  brace  the  hinge. 

The  buck  horn  hinge,  82,  was  used  on  dwelling  house  doors.  The  scroll 
end  afforded  nail  holes  which  did  not  follow  one  line  and  saved  splitting 
the  wood. 


[542 


A  PAGE  of  Hinges,  of  which  the  rarest  form  is  3.  (In  these  notations  I 
signifies  iron  and  will  not  be  noticed  further.)  The  name  is  HLL.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  L  was  to  strengthen  the  hold  in  the  wood.  The  commoner  form 
is  the  HL,  number  2.  At  the  top  of  a  door  it  was  placed  as  we  see  it.  At 
the  bottom  the  mate  to  it  was  reversed.  In  12  we  have  the  modified  form 
with  small  decorative  work  at  the  ends,  over  dignified  by  the  word  scroll. 
In  31  we  have  a  hammered  form  in  which  the  branches  not  only  taper  but 
grow  thinner  toward  the  arrow  end.  This  form  also  was  attached  by  the 
pin,  or  gudgeon,  and  is  earlier  than  the  ordinary  H  and  HL  hinges,  made 
of  sheet  metal.  The  plain  H  hinge,  number  i,  is  the  commonest  of  all 
forms;  somewhat  ornamented  it  becomes  number  11.  Number  13  is  a 
hammered  HL  hinge  with  star  and  arrow  ends.  It  was  used  on  small  work. 
The  butterfly  hinge  52  was  used  after  1700;  the  cruder  form,  without  a  pin, 
51,  was  in  use  before  1700.  Number  366  is  a  little  latch  for  a  small  door 
made  like  an  H  hinge. 


[543 


THE  Iron  Works  House  above,  as  restored,  at  Saugus,  no  longer  used  for 
that  work,  has  one  of  the  most  attractive  roof  lines. 

The  lean-to  was  not  original  but  was  added  about  1750.  The  ell  fol- 
lowed about  1800.     The  chimney  stack  is  a  model  of  its  kind. 

The  hinges  below  are  described  on  page  548. 


1-43 


1-35 


I544I 


404 


4o6 


401 


IN  this  Page  of  Andirons,  404  is  the  simple  form,  with  a  ring  top.  The 
heart  pair,  406,  is  very  rare.  The  crook  neck  octagon  ball,  401 ,  is  a  popular 
style.  The  hook  on  the  inside  of  the  standard  is  for  the  spit  rod  rest.  The 
goose  necks,  403,  are  quaint  and  were  much  used.  The  straight  ball  pair 
were  heavy  and  high.  The  flat  ball,  with  crook  neck,  409,  difi^ers  from  those 
immediately  above  them  in  having  plain  rather  than  octagon  balls.  These 
patterns  vary  from  12  to  20  inches  in  hight.  Unless  otherwise  noted  the 
hardware  in  this  section  of  the  book  is  photographed  by  the  author  from 
original  examples  once  in  his  possession.     There  is  one  exception. 

All  this  work  was  hand  wrought.  Cast  iron  was  very  early  used,  but  its 
forms  are  so  manifold  we  can  notice  only  a  few. 


403 


409 


I  545  1 


THE  first  pair  of  andirons  differs  from  the  last  shown  in  that  these  balls 
are  not  flattened.  The  heavy  flat  scrolls,  402,  were  seldom  found.  They 
too  much  obscured  a  view  of  the  fire.  The  pig  tail  scroll,  400,  has  a  flattened 
section  on  top,  where  a  small  porringer  might  be  placed. 

The  andirons  below  all  belong  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives.  The  cast  pair  of 
Hessians  face  away  from  each  other — an  error  in  photographing.  The 
right  hand  pair  of  Washington  andirons  are  rare.  The  Hessians  have  been 
so  much  copied  that  the  original,  like  these,  are  the  choicer,  as  imitation 
enhances  the  value  of  the  original.  The  middle  pair,  with  brass  tips  and 
flat  feet,  are  extremely  rare  as  the  brass  is  made  in  a  square  molded  section. 


[546] 


•_^;;ty--T  ■  ^  ■.'  T'.'^JIP-^* 


THERE  is  shown  above  the  wonderful  old  fire  room  and  fireplace  in  the 
Iron  Works  House.  It  is  about  ten  feet  across.  In  the  same  side  of  the 
same  chimney  in  the  lean-to  is  another  fireplace,  so  that  the  chimney  on  the 
ground  floor  has  dimensions  of  about  ii  by  i8  feet  and  the  question  of  the 
fireplace  furniture  becomes  an  important  one. 

The  clock-work  jack,  shown  in  position  above,  turned  the  rod  below  which 
rested  on  the  large  andiron.  This  method  antedated  many  years  the  tin 
oven,  which  was  a  declension  from  the  earlier,  stronger  style. 

The  small  andirons  in  the  rear,  holding  up  the  back  logs,  were  called  fire 
dogs.  They  were  for  use  while  the  larger  andirons  were  for  ornament  or 
to  hold  the  spit.  The  meat  of  Queen  Victoria  was  cooked  on  an  arrangement 
like  this  during  all  her  life. 

The  bunches  of  red  ears  of  corn  are  hung  here  to  season.  On  the  right, 
on  the  wall,  is  a  candle  box  of  tin. 

The  pole  hung  from  the  ceiling  was  for  hanging  articles  after  ironing, 
a  kind  of  suspended  clothes  horse. 


I  547 


ON  Page  544  is  shown,  in  37,  a  hinge  with  a  screw  gudgeon  which  passed 
entirely  through  the  door  post  and  was  fastened  on  the  opposite  side,  in  the 
next  room,  with  a  diamond  shaped  washer  and  an  ornamental  nut.  In  41 
we  have  a  17th  Century  hinge  named  the  strap  and  butterfly,  a  crude  form 
of  which  is  42.  This  was  used  on  good  houses.  A  modification  is  the  wedge 
and  strap,  43.  An  offset  hinge  with  ground  joint  is  34.  The  plain  thumb 
end  of  35  is  commoner  but  not  so  good  as  the  arrow  end,  41. 

On  this  page,  on  the  left,  is  shown  a  smoke  jack,  which  the  author  took 
out  of  a  chimney  in  the  Wentworth-Gardner  house,  photographed,  and 
returned  to  its  place.  It  was  revolved,  in  the  flue,  by  the  draught.  The 
bigger  the  fire  the  faster  it  turned.  The  long  shaft,  with  worm  gear  at  one 
end,  at  the  other  end  stuck  through  the  chimney  breast,  six  or  seven  feet 
above  the  floor,  and  was  connected  by  a  pulley  and  chain  belt  with  the  spit 
rod  below.    A  remarkable  affair,  dating  1760. 

The  cranes  are  various  types,  spiraled,  braced,  scrolled  and  plain.  They 
should  extend  about  two  thirds  of  the  way  across  the  fireplace.  The  crane 
hangers  are  eyes  with  a  shank  which  is  built  into  the  brick  work.  The 
upper  end  of  the  bearing  was  made  long  so  that  the  crane  could  be  un- 
shipped. 


[548] 


f^^'iA»/^^:-)t>i>vi^>^M^^v^-^^-^^ 


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(\ 


ftl 


(h 


^ 


u 


c>^ 


M48  14^<9 


Mfeo  (I4fa7 


1 


M74 


ii 


THE  two  Forks  on  the  left  are  called  tormentors.  Some  ask  why.  Evi- 
dently they  are  not  familiar  with  the  preaching  of  the  past  generations. 
The  forks  were  used  to  take  the  meat  out  of  the  pot. 

The  slender  little  forks,  third  and  fourth  in  line,  were  for  toasting.  The 
basket  work  affair  last  in  line,  was  used  for  broiling  an  egg  or  chop.  It  had 
a  swivel  so  as  to  reverse  and  cook  on  both  sides.  In  the  group  on  the  right 
of  the  page,  460  is  a  skewer  holder  and  its  half-dozen  skewers.  An  iron 
hook  for  sustaining  the  hole  for  drying  articles  in  front  of  the  fireplace  is 
473.  The  attachment  called  a  jamb  hook,  448  and  449,  was  fastened,  on 
either  side  of  the  fireplace,  to  steady  the  shovel  and  tongs.  The  long 
rod,  474,  rested  on  the  hooks  of  the  andirons,  carried  a  little  hollowed  rim 
wheel  at  the  end  for  the  clock  work  jack,  and  revolved  the  meat  attached 
by  the  skewers. 

The  other  articles  are  hammered  ladles  and  a  perforated  brass  skimmer. 

We  do  not  seem  to  find  cast  ladles.  The  hammer  marks  on  early  iron 
are  often  eagerly  looked  for.  But  in  the  finest  work  those  marks  were 
often  carefully  avoided,  so  that  they  prove  nothing  except  that  the  piece 
is  hand  wrought.  They  do  not  testify  to  age.  Of  late  the  market  has 
been  flooded  with  a  great  quantity  of  crude,  spurious  iron  work. 


I  549 


V 


1-479 


1-478 


1-477     m 


[5So] 


ON  the  preceding  page,  number  457  is  a  good  early  toaster.  The  handle 
is  hammered  in  a  quaint  design,  and  the  bars  of  the  toaster  are  spiraled.  A 
plain  grill,  or  rest  for  a  vessel  over  the  fire  is  479.  A  whirling  spiral  grill  is 
450.  This  and  all  articles  on  the  page  except  the  kettle,  are  hammered. 
A  charcoal  broiler  or  cooker  is  470.  The  top  is  hinged  for  renewing  the 
charcoal.  A  trivet,  spiraled  in  its  bracing,  and  scrolled  in  its  table,  is  478. 
It  has  a  handle  of  wood.  A  trivet  with  a  heart-shaped  brace  is  477.  There 
is  a  detachable  crane.  A  little  fire  on  the  trivet  in  summer;  but  in  winter 
the  entire  trivet  placed  over  the  blaze. 

On  this  page  are  various  pieces  of  iron  belonging  to  the  author.  The  long, 
narrow  trough  is  for  boiling  the  rushes  in  waste  fat.  An  excellent  pair  of 
early  pipe  tongs  is  on  the  right.  The  right  hand  group  on  this  page  shows 
the  notched  and  the  saw  tooth  trammels  and  pot  hooks.  The  word  trammel 
has  an  origin  now  forgotten.  It  confined,  or  held  at  the  desired  elevation 
the  pot  over  the  fire.  The  saw  tooth  trammels  are  rare.  Some  beautiful 
examples  from  the  South  have  scroll  work — "etching" — on  the  haft. 

The  trammel  was  a  daily  necessity.  The  pot  was  adjusted  to  bring  it 
into  direct  contact  with  the  blaze.  The  hight  varied  according  to  the  size 
of  the  blazing  logs.  With  a  lug  pole  the  same  method,  together  with 
chains,  was  used. 


I551] 


A  SERIES  of  shovel  and  tong  handles.  None  of  these  tops  are  brass; 
all  are  hammered.  The  third  and  the  seventh  are  scroll  shovel  handles. 
The  shovel  itself  was  not  used  for  ashes — a  great  shovel  was  brought  in  for 
that  purpose — but  for  putting  in  and  taking  out  food  at  the  oven.  This 
shovel  was  also  called  the  slice,  or  the  peel,  because  it  peeled  as  it  were  the 
food  from  the  oven  bottom.    It  was  sometimes  made  of  wood. 

The  fourth  and  the  eighth  fcfirms  are  tongs,  the  latter  being  best,  with 
strong  outward   scrolls. 

The  round  headed  handles,  some  of  shovels,  others  of  tongs  are  good  in 
their  way. 

The  brass  fireplace  utensils  came  in  much  later,  though  in  a  few  rich 
homes  they  might  possibly,  and  rarely,  be  found. 

The  most  used  utensil  at  the  fireplace  was  the  tongs.  The  falling 
pieces  of  log  required  readjustment  and  powerful  tools  were  necessary. 
Pokers  were  not  in  use.    They  go  with  a  coal  fire,  or  at  least  with  grates. 

A  broom  of  birch  stood  by  the  fireplace  to  keep  in  their  place  the  scatter- 
ing ashes.  The  bellows,  a  long  spider,  kettles,  pots,  Dutch  ovens  (cast 
iron  baking  dishes),  made  up  part  of  the  furniture. 

The  ashes  produced  by  the  hard  wood  fire  were  all  carefully  saved  for 
making  soap.  Also  the  lye  made  from  them  was  used  for  hulling  corn. 
In  the  backs  of  the  fireplaces,  well  up,  were  niches  for  holding  tinder,  and 
the  tinder  box,  or  anything  small  that  must  be  kept  dry. 

In  the  large  chimneys  recesses  were  provided,  upstairs,  for  hanging  ham 
and  bacon  to  cure. 


I  552] 


SEVERAL  daintily  wrought  examples  of  pipe  tongs  have  came  down  to 
us.  At  the  top  is  the  pair  captured  at  the  siege  of  Fort  William  Henry,  by 
a  scion  of  the  Williams  family  in  South  Easton.  They  are  engraved  to 
that  effect,  with  the  date  1754.  ^  P^ir  owned  by  the  author,  180,  is  not 
nearly  so  good.  The  little  thumb  piece  for  pressing  the  tobacco  into  the 
bowl  was  perforated  to  prevent  putting  out  the  fire. 

The  pair  with  an  acorn  end  is  hardly  equal  to  the  next  pair  183,  perhaps 
the  finest  example  found.  In  addition  to  what  one  can  see,  there  is  on 
the  hinge  a  series  of  little  notch  "carvings,"  and  a  flattened  or  halved  acorn 
terminates  the  base  of  the  spring.     More  properly  it  is  a  tear  drop. 

The  bottom  pair  is  a  poor  relation  of  the  others.  It  merely  supplies 
clumsy  figures  for  the  tongs,  and  resembles  a  pair  of  pincers.  The  delicacy 
of  much  of  this  work,  very  light  and  paper  thin,  is  the  highest  achievement 
in  American  colonial  hardware. 


[  55.3  1 


llkj. 


ABOVE  are  an  array  of  candle  sticks,  lamps  and  a  heart  waffle  iron.  Also 
unique  three-fingered  snuffers.  Below  on  this  page  are  two  fine  candle 
stands  of  Mr.  W.,  of  Boston,  with  Betty  lamp,  snuffers  and  pipe  tongs.  On 
page  555  is  a  wonderful  table  candle  stand,  the  most  interesting  we  have  seen. 
A  series  of  lanterns  at  the  bottom  of  that  page  shows  examples  of  differing 
dates.  The  fourth  is  of  wood.  The  fifth  is  a  ship  lantern.  The  third  and 
last  are  late.  The  second  was  in  use  about  1800.  The  first  is  for  carrying 
before  one,  or  for  use  as  a  sconce. 


The  date  on  such  work  is  im- 
possible to  fix  with  any  degree 
of  accuracy  but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  they  are  at  least  pre-Revolu- 
tionary. 

The  variety  of  designs  for 
holding  candles,  or  oil,  for  light- 
ing, is  only  surpassed  by  the 
multiplied  modern  fashions. 
But  there  is  a  quite  notable 
scarcity  of  artistic  forms.  The 
elaborate  European  styles  are 
scarcely  represented  in  early 
American  work.  All  efforts  to 
trace  the  origin  of  the  tall  stan- 
dards for  candles  have  proved 
vain.  We  know  they  were  in 
use  in  England.  Spanish  exam- 
ples are  numerous,  but  have  been 
excluded  here,  except  in  one  case. 


[554 


**»>lr- 


555 


ALL  the  articles  on  this  and  the  next  page  belong  to  Mr.  Geo.  F.Ives. 
The  first  above  is  a  horn  lantern.  The  next  a  quaintly  scrolled  candle  stick. 
Then  a  pistol  sparker  and  a  gun  lock  sparker.  A  petticoat  lamp  follows, 
and  a  bull's  eye.  Below  is  a  good  chandelier  with  a  crystal  center.  This, 
while  not  original,  was  provided  for  in  the  construction. 


I  5S6  1 


ABOVE  is  first  a  curious  ladle  or  flagon.  Next  a  reflector  lamp,  then  a 
triple  wall  sconce  with  reflector.  Next  a  swiveled  pewter  lamp  made  to 
hang  or  carry,  and  last  a  tinder-box  combined  as  usual  with  a  candle  stick. 

Below  we  have  on  the  left  a  fine  pair  of  reflecting  sconces. 

The  other  pair  on  the  right  may  be  unique.  If  not  they  are  extremely 
rare.  Their  simple  three  branches  are  effective  and  seem  to  be  the  produc- 
tion, here,  in  iron,  of  the  richer  sconces  produced  abroad  in  silver. 

Beautiful  plates  serving  as  backs  for  sconces  in  Sheffield  ware  appeared 
later.  The  best  thing  in  use  in  our  period  seems  to  have  been  such 
reflecting  sconces  as  those  on  the  left.  They  were  in  their  finest  forms, 
composed  of  small  segments  of  silvered  glass.  Their  effect  is  very 
beautiful. 


I  557) 


1 
:i 
\ 

A  PAIR  of  Sconces  belonging  to  the  E.  B.  Leete  Co.,  of  Guilford,  Connec- 
ticut. The  tips  of  the  iron  candleholders  are  of  brass.  The  use  of  a  spike, 
so  common  in  Spanish  work,  for  affixing  the  candle,  is  rare  on  American 
pieces.  These  sconces  have  been  for  generations  in  Connecticut,  and  their 
simplicity  suggests  that  their  origin  is  colonial. 

There  is  an  iron  hook,  the  beginning  of  which  is  discernible,  which  goes 
over  the  back  of  the  wooden  support,  resting  in  a  slight  slot.  Thus  the 
iron  portion  may  be  removed  and  hooked  elsewhere.  The  pieces  are 
designed  as  they  stand,  to  rest  upon  a  table.  They  are  presumably  unique 
and  very  attractive  in  their  quaintness. 

Hight,  I7>2  inches;  bight  of  wooden  base,  9  inches.  On  the  right  is  a 
very  large  pair  of  tongs,  with  teeth,  for  filling  a  warming  pan. 

I558I 


il 


4^r^ 


u) 


THE  hanging  sconces  here  shown  may  not  in  all  cases  be  of  American 
make,  but  they  were  all  found  here,  except  the  first.  The  second  is  a  nice 
piece  of  lamp  work,  of  two  saucer-shaped  pieces  of  iron  brazed  together. 
The  rooster,  stopper  and  the  turned  ornaments  are  of  brass.  These  hang- 
ing lamps  were  used  at  looms,  as  well  as  for  other  purposes.  The  third 
example  is  made  with  a  sliding  joint  and  spring  to  shove  up  and  down. 
The  last  is  a  trammel  form  candle  stick  and  rush  light. 

Below  is  a  quaint  little  affair,  a  candle  holder  to  be  thrust  into  a  wooden 
support  or  to  be  hooked  to  a  mantel  or  a  "high  backt"  chair.  It  was 
found   in  Connecticut,  and  is  owned  by  Mr.  Malcolm  Norton. 


'\ 


559 


A  MOST  attractive  form  of  chandelier  or  "branch",  as  such  pieces  were 
called.  The  central  portion  is  a  wood  turning  eleven  inches  high  by  six 
inches  in  diameter.  To  it  are  nailed  the  sheet  iron  strips  which  form  the 
branches.    They  are  rolled  over  on  their  edges  for  finish  and  strength. 

The  staple  and  the  S-hook  at  the  top  are  for  attachment  to  a  hook,  in  the 
ceiling  or  a  chain  adjusted  to  the  hight  of  a  room.  It  belongs  to  Mr.  Geo. 
F.  Ives,  as  do  the  lighting  fixtures  at  the  bottom  of  the  next  page 

On  the  top  of  that  page  is  a  twelve  candle  chandelier  the  design  of  which 
the  author  had  sketched  from  an  ancient  example.  This  piece  is  all  in  metal. 
The  dates  of  these  chandeliers  are  entirely  conjectural,  beyond  the  state- 
ment that  they  belong  in  the  17th  and  i8th  Centuries,  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  some  should  not  have  been  made  until  the  time  of  the  common  use  of 
the  whale  oil  lamp. 

The  low  ceilings  in  17th  Century  houses  where  furniture  of  that  period, 
left  to  us,  was  originally  used,  did  not  admit  of  central  "branches"  like 
the  above,  except  in  rare  instances.  The  individual  candle  branches  are 
about  II  inches  each,  horizontally.  The  hub  is  of  pine.  Similar  pieces 
are  now  being  eagerly  sought.  But  there  is  little  hope  of  discovering 
more  than  a  very  few.  The  author  has  lately  seen  one  with  two  circles 
of  branches,  on  different  levels. 


[560] 


THE  piece  above  was  just  described.  Below  are,  on  the  ends,  two  very 
rare  examples  of  Betty  lamp  stands,  with  the  lamps.  The  Betty  lamp  was 
designed  to  hang,  but  obviously  that  was  sometimes  inconvenient.  The 
second  and  fifth  pieces  are  candle  sticks,  the  fifth  with  square  base  being 
very  odd.  The  fine  wall  sconce  with  minute  facets  for  reflectors  is  a  very 
rare  example  in  this  good  state  of  repair.  The  fourth  piece  is  a  hanging 
candle,  the  fish  hook  shape  of  which  does  not  clearly  show. 


[561] 


A  SECOND  good  example  of  a  wood  and  iron  chandelier  owned  by  Mr. 
Geo.  F.  Ives. 

The  use  of  oil  in  the  Betty  lamp,  which  copied  the  classical  form,  was  very 
early,  but  coincident  with  the  use  of  candles.  Metal  or  glass  lamps  with  a 
wick  and  whale  oil  as  a  filler  were  of  a  later  date.  This  brief  survey  covers 
most  of  the  antique  methods  of  lighting  in  this  country  until  the  introduction 
of  kerosene.  All  lamps  designed  to  burn  it  are  too  late  to  be  called  antique. 
The  ordinary  lights  for  general  room  illumination  were  as  they  should  have 
been,  at  the  sides.  A  chandelier  was  ordinarily  objectionable  owing  to  the 
low  ceilings.  Wall  sconces  of  various  degrees  of  elaboration  were  common. 
Ordinarily  speaking  no  effort,  except  in  ball  rooms,  was  made  at  general 
illumination.  The  light  was  small  and  movable  to  be  placed  where  most 
needed,  hence  the  stick  lamp,  the  hook  lamp  and  the  candle  stick;  some  of 
these  being  attached  to  the  back  and  others  even  to  the  front  posts  of  a  chair. 


I  562] 


q^-. 


1} 


_*? 


ii 


dJ 


■i 


i 


KJ 


A  A 


A 


A  SERIES  of  tall  iron  candle  stands  photographed  from  various  ex- 
amples. All  except  the  last,  which  has  more  of  a  Spanish  suggestion,  were  in 
the  author's  possession.  These  three  have  bars  which  adjust  at  any  hight  de- 
sired, a  spring  or  two  securing  them.  The  second  one  came  from  the  South, 
and  is  good  and  peculiar,  perhaps  unique,  in  having  little  arched  braces  to 
stiffen  the  high  standard.  In  most  cases  the  standard  is  four  and  a  half  to 
five  and  a  half  feet  high.  There  is  a  cast  and  turned  brass  tip  on  the  top  of 
the  standard.  The  candle  sticks  are  sometimes  iron,  generally  brass,  and 
the  latter  are  often  cast.  These  candle  stands  tapered  toward  the  top 
and  are  rather  delicate  in  the  old  patterns. 

The  brass  tip  is  always  small.  The  more  elaborate  the  specimen  the 
more  likely  it  is  to  be  an  imitation.  The  little  frame  containing  the 
springs  is  called  a  cage.  The  light,  when  pushed  down,  was  for  reading. 
When  elevated,  it  served  to  illuminate  a  room.  We  have  never  seen  one 
of  these  early  American  standards  with  four  lights.  But  there  has  been 
found  a  wooden  stand  with  short  T  arms  at  the  end  of  the  bar,  as  if  to 
take  two  candles  at  each  end. 


I563I 


,T 


^7^ 


* 


* 


r\\  /T*jv 


IN  the  first  stand  we  have  a  scrolled  foot.  In  the  second  the  candle  bar  is 
scrolled,  from  a  narrow  section.  There  is  a  brass  disc  as  part  of  the  decora- 
tion, just  above  the  tripod.  In  the  third  example,  the  candle  bar  is  com- 
posed of  a  very  wide  scroll.  In  the  fourth  example,  the  bracket  is  more 
artistic  than  usual.  At  the  base  simple  scrolls  between  each  leg  are  added 
for  decoration.  This  piece  belongs  to  the  city  of  New  York,  and  is  in  the  old 
City  Hall. 

Tall  iron  stands  are  now  very  difficult  to  obtain.  When  found  they  are 
generally  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  It  may  well  be  that  some  of  these  old 
stands  are  not  native.  Most  of  them  have  a  bar  for  two  candles,  but  per- 
haps a  dozen  are  known  with  a  single  bracket,  for  one  candle.  A  few  are 
found  with  wooden  blocks  for  bases.  These  are  usually  simple  and  are  not 
relatively  good. 

The  classical  stand  was  for  burning  oil  in  a  lamp  like  a  gravy  boat,  or 
Betty  lamp,  of  elegant  workmanship,  in  bronze. 


I  564! 


^^ 


1 


J 


-> 


1 


^  0 

JU 


s 


r^ 


OF  the  stands  above  those  at  the  sides  are  short  and  sHght.  One  carries 
three  candles.  That  on  the  right  has  a  three  pronged  rest  for  an  ordinary 
candlestick  which  is  not  attached  to  the  stand.  The  middle  specimen  shows 
a  hanging  pair  of  snuffers  and  feet  with  curled  up  toes. 

The  matter  of  lighting  was  so  important  as  to  give  the  name  chandler 
(candler)  to  merchants  in  many  kinds  of  trade.  We  have  only  to  consider 
what  the  oil  and  electric  development  is  today  to  understand  how  large 
was  the  matter  of  candles  in  the  old  days.  The  wealth  of  New  England  came 
largely  through  the  whaling  fleets,  which  brought  in  oil  to  take  the  place  of 
candles,  or  spermaceti  for  the  best  candles.  The  preparation  of  rushes  for 
lighting  was  by  peeling,  except  for  a  small  shred  on  one  side,  and  dipping  in 
hot  tallow.     Rush  lights  are  shown  farther  on. 

A  history  of  artificial  lighting  might  disclose  some  odd  chapters  in  human 
experience,  from  the  pine  knot  to  the  300,000  candle  power  light  now  being 
installed,  to  cast  a  beam  eighty  miles  out  to  sea. 


[565 


TWO  interesting  stands 
owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Ives. 
That  having  three  Hghts  has 
practically  no  bases  as  drip 
basins  for  the  candles.  It  must 
have  been  used  where  this  defect 
was  ignored,  on  an  earth  floor. 

Several  other  good  lanterns 
belonging  to  Mr.  Rudolph 
Pauly,  are  shown  at  the  bot- 
tom of  page  535.  One  has  a 
wooden  frame  and  small  wooden 
finials,  and  is  of  great  interest. 
Horn  lanterns  were  not  sub- 
ject to  breakage  and  were  in 
general  early  use. 


A  lantern  such  as  that  shown  is  now 
called,  by  the  perversity  of  a  fad,  a  "Paul 
Revere  lantern."  Of  course  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  see  the  light  from  such  a 
candle,  in  a  church  belfry.  These  lanterns 
are  simply  tin  perforated  by  nail  holes. 
They  were  in  early  use  and  have  continued 
up  to  the  last  generation  in  many  country 
neighborhoods.  They  are  now  made  in 
quantities.  A  few  days  is  sufficient  to  coat 
them  so  effectively  with  rust  that  they 
look,  older  than  necessary.  They  are  some- 
times made  in  verv  large  sizes 

[  566  ] 


(■ 

1 

WALL  Sconces  that  could  not  be 

moved     were  on    that    account  ob- 

jectionaL    Our  fathers  were   accus- 
tomed   to    carrying     lights    in    the 

hand,  in  doors  and  out. 

The  double  sconce  above  is  a  very  rare  form  whose  origin  is  not  known. 

The  snuffers  are  hand  wrought.    Steel  snuffers  are  of  small  account.    They 

are  always  more  fanciful. 

The  attractive,  extremely  rare,  double  table  candle  stand  with  shades 

has  a  brass  post  and  handle  at  the  top.    The  rest  is  iron.     An  important 

specimen.  Below  the 
lanterns  are  not  very 
early  forms.  They  were 
used  on  shipboard  or  in 
public  halls,  on  walls. 

Almost  every  man 
seems  to  have  made  his 
lantern  to  his  taste.  The 
forms  are  numberless. 
Few  are  very  ancient. 
The  materials  were 
either  wood,  iron,  tin, 
brass,    horn.  They 

should  not  be  adapted 
to  electric  light.  To  do 
so  is  thoroughly  incon- 
gruous. 


[  567  ] 


ON  the  left  is  a  rare  swinging  braclcet 
torch  holder.  The  ornaments  are  quaintly 
good.  The  date  may  be  i8th  Century. 
Small  plates  are  nailed  to  the  wall  to  sus- 
tain it,  moving  through  a  half  circle. 

The  small  single  wall  sconce  on  the  same 
plate  dates  from  the   i8th  Century. 

The  use  of  torch  holders  seems  to  be 
confined,  of  necessity,  to  light  out  of  doors. 
Such  holders  were  filled  with  any  resinous 
wood.  They  marked  the  approaches  to 
stately  dwellings. 


The  table  candle  stands  on  the  right 
vary  little  from  the  high  stands  already 
shown  except  in  bight.  The  feet  of 
the  one  on  the  right  are  more  delicately 
made  with  hammered  enlargements. 
It  has  nicely  shaped  little  scrolls  on 
the  springs. 

On  the  left  at  the  bottom  is  a  pole 
torch,  the  pole  of  course  being  missing; 
and  a  flip  iron — a  thing  much  sought 
alter  now — of  course  as  a  curio. 


I 


I 

I 


? 


^r^ 


-n^. 


We  suspect  certain  blacksmith's  tools 
have  been  made  to  do  duty  as  flip  irons 
or  toddy  sticks.  We  are  sure  that  the 
gophering  iron,  thrust  into  a  hollow 
holder,  is  often  called  a  flip  iron.  It 
was  used  in  England,  and  perhaps  here, 
to  heat  the  gophering  iron  on  which  rufties 
or  flounces  were  smoothed.  After  the 
fashion  of  the  gophering  iron  had  passed 
out  its  original  purpose  was  forgotten, 
but  obviously  no  toddy  iron  could  need  a 
sheath,  as  it  would  be  cold  when  taken 
from  the  toddy. 

A  loggerhead,  served  the  same  pur- 
pose, and,  if  too  much  toddy  were  taken, 
the  imbibers  sometimes  used  the  logger- 
heads on  one  another's  skulls. 


[568 


THE  Bracket  Candle  Sconce,  on  a  swivel,  above,  is  one  of  the  oddest 
affairs  ever  found.  By  means  of  a  thumb  nut  and  a  toggle  joint  the  candle 
holder  may  be  changed  in  hight  and  extension.  The  little  holder  itself  is 
on  a  swivel  weighted  below  to  keep  it  steady.  Such  a  contrivance  would 
have  supplied  a  good  reading  light.  Below  are  three  forms  of  rush  light 
holders.  The  writer  was  asked  recently  whether  any  holder  for  rush  lights 
is  American.  Our  fathers  used  rush  lights  not  a  little.  So  simple  a  thing 
could  hardly  have  been  imported  in  every  case.  These  specimens  were 
found  in  America,  but  there  is  nothing  to  prove  they  were  not  brought  here. 
The  left  hand  holder  has  a  side  prong  for  a  candle,  to  use  for  guests.  Mean- 
time the  weight  of  it  kept  the  nippers  closed  on  the  rush,  as  shown  on  the 
right  example,  which  has  a  spring  for  that  purpose,  and  iron  legs.  The  mid- 
dle piece  has  a  nicely  turned  base. 


[569] 


A  REMARKABLY  good  set  of 
three  sconces,  each  with  the 
Hghts,  is  owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  T. 
Ives.  They  have  the  true  colonial 
feeling,  much  simplicity,  but  very 
good  taste.  The  curl  with  which 
the  pieces  terminate  is  made  useful 
as  well  as  ornamental. 

So  far  as  known  these  specimens 
are  unique.  No  doubt  the  less 
artistic  reflecting  sconces  were 
found  better  for  lighting.  Hence 
the  rarity  of  such  examples  as 
these. 

Below  is  a  much  reduced  picture 
of  the  corner  fireplace  in  York  jail, 
now  converted  into  the  local 
historical  museum.  The  feature 
of  great  interest  is  the  raised 
hearth,  English-wise,  which  wastes 
heat;  and  the  corner  treatment  in 
general,  which  is  delightful. 

In    the    fireplace,    the    error    is 


often  made,  when  preparing  it  for  a 
setting  of  early  hardware,  of  doing  the 
work  too  daintily.  No  glazed  trim  or 
pressed  brick  should  be  used,  no  colored 
mortar,   and   no  arch  allowed. 

The  hearth  should  be  of  old,  or  at 
least  rough,  red  brick  tile,  about  'jyi 
inches  square.  The  rest  of  the  work 
should  be  in  common  brick,  old  if 
possible,  laid  in  common  white  mortar. 
The  larger  the  fireplace  the  better. 


[570] 


THE  Brass  Box  Lock  was  used  on  fine  houses  from  about  1725  to  1795. 
When  the  author  was  rummaging  among  the  unknown  treasures  of  the 
MetropoHtan  Museum,  he  found  a  second  specimen  Hke  this.  They  are 
the  best  examples  that  have  come  to  hght.  The  ordinary  brass  box  lock 
was  cast  with  perfectly  plain  square  edges.  The  molded  edge  is  one  feature 
of  beauty  and  rarity.  Most  old  locks  are  screwed  on  from  the  face.  This, 
in  common  with  the  better  sort  has  a  back  plate  screwed  to  the  door.  To 
this  plate,  the  lock  is  attached  by  hooked  studs  and  slots.  One  screw  placed 
in  the  edge  at  the  closed  end,  holds  it  securely.  The  striker  is  attached  in 
the  same  way. 

These  locks,  at  least  in  the  early  period,  were  never  made  rights  and  lefts. 
The  lock  was  simply  turned  over  to  accommodate  itself  to  a  door  opening 
the  other  way.  There  was  no  outside  keyhole,  this  being  an  inside  door  lock. 
Thus  the  polished  plate  was  clean  except  for  the  drop  handle.  A  bolt  was 
shot  by  pushing  the  little  stud  shown  on  the  bottom  edge.  Knobs  are 
much  later.  Below  is  a  drawing  of  the  pine  tree  shilling,  our  first  coin. 
The  die  was  made  by  Joseph  Jencks,  ironmaster. 


I  S7I 


OF  the  Latches  the  left  hand  one,  in  iron,  is  now  on  the  back  door  of  the 
hall  in  the  Webb  house,  Wetherfield.  It  is  above  nineteen  inches  long. 
The  second  example  is  in  brass.  The  third  was  taken  from  an  old  church 
door — we  hope  not  without  leave.  Its  length  is  sixteen  and  a  half  inches. 
The  latches  on  the  other  plate  are  outside  door  patterns.  The  left  hand 
one  has  fine  hatcheling  on  the  small  triangles.  One  should  notice  the  orna- 
ments across  the  centers  of  the  handles.  The  right  hand  example  is  called 
the  triangle  latch.  The  middle  one  ends  with  spear  or  arrow  points  and 
has  extra  little  quirks  at  the  bases  of  the  circles. 

No  such  rich  hardware  as  is  common  abroad  showed  itself  in  America — 
at  least  none  remains.  And  we  do  not  regret  it.  These  simpler  designs  are 
sufficiently  attractive  and  mark  the  decorative  sense  of  the  colonists  better 
than  the  mere  importation  of  something  on  which  they  had  not  put  out 
their  skill. 

The  bars  of  these  outside  latches,  which  date  in  some  cases  earlier  than 
1700,  were  large,  running  to  fifteen  inches.  Dependence  was  placed  on  a 
large  wooden  bar  across  the  door  within  instead  of  locks. 


I572I 


OF  the  numerous  knockers  here  shown,  all  in  iron  because  the  brass 
knocker  is  later,  302  was  found  on  a  door  of  a  17th  Century  house  near 
Haverhill.  It  is  like  306,  except  that  it  has  stamped  on  it  a  series  of  decora- 
tive rings. 

305  is  a  rope  twist  found  in  Newfoundland,  as  was  also  300.  The  origins 
of  the  others  have  been  lost  sight  of.  310  is  a  kind  of  cock's  comb  knocker. 
301  is  a  simplification  of  300.  308  and  307  are  merely  rings  with  balls.  303 
is  composed  of  several  twisted  strands  gathered  into  a  ring. 

Some  of  these  knockers  were  also  latches.  On  swinging  the  knocker  a 
latch  bar  was  lifted  by  means  of  a  post  running  through  the  door.  This 
devise  was  doubtless  the  origin  of  the  drop  handle  on  brass  box  locks. 

The  three  great  latch  handles  in  the  right  plate  run  from  22^2  to  27  inches 
in  length.  Their  shapes  are  quite  suggestive  of  the  finials  on  a  Brewster 
chair.    Of  course,  they  are  a  reminiscence  of  the  Gothic. 

Such  latches  were  used  for  the  most  part  in  America  on  church  doors, 
or  state  buildings.  They  are  among  the  rarest  articles  of  American  hard- 
ware, and  what  is  worse,  there  is  little  chance  of  more  of  them  being 
found.  They  are  so  prominent  as  to  make  their  whereabouts  known. 
One  recently  came  to  light  with  notch  carving  on  the  thumb  piece.  But 
it  was  not  in  this  heroic  size. 


[573 


THE  Fourth  Latch  in  the  line  above  is  found  on  many  good  houses.  It 
is  the  best  design  of  the  five.  The  handle  portion  is  shaped  more  than  in 
the  others.  This  one  was  on  the  back  door  of  the  Wentworth-Gardner  house. 
It  was  used  as  an  inside  and  outside  latch,  in  differing  sizes. 

The  third  latch  is  scrolled  to  secure  a  slight  departure  from  the  triangle, 
but  the  type  is  not  so  good.  The  other  three  latches  differ  mostly  in  the 
ornamental  bars  across  the  handle.  They  are  common  design,  rather  lack- 
ing in  style.    The  large  specimen  was  on  an  outside  door. 

Iron  latches  of  this  period  are  never  attached  with  screws  but  always  by 
clinch  nails,  which  hold  far  more  securely  than  any  wood  screw  ever  devised. 
The  length  of  the  thumb  piece  was  accommodated  to  the  thickness  of  the 
door  and  there  were  no  adjustments  to  get  loose.  The  hammering  was  so 
done  as  to  leave  the  iron  thinner  and  narrower  near  the  plates,  which  them- 
selves were  thinned  at  the  edges,  like  early  brass  cabinet  handles. 


(574  I 


1-230 


1-2 1 3 


I-2IZ 


1-210 


1-216 


LATCH  249  has  the  Heart  shaped  Plate.  The  large  well  scrolled  latch, 
250,  was  on  a  church.  The  striker,  270,  shows  a  scrolled  support  into  which 
a  nail  was  driven.  The  shaft  was  also  ragged.  At  the  top  is  shown  a  shaped 
thumb  piece.  There  are  also  two  examples  of  latch  bars,  275  and  276, 
which  have  scrolls  to  lift  them  by,  independent  of  the  thumb  piece.  Below 
are  examples,  202,  203  and  204,  of  various  hooks,  used  with  staples. 

On  the  right  hand  side  of  the  page,  212  is  a  quaint  "round  triangle"  design. 
The  other  examples  need  no  explanation. 

Large  latches  were  not  used  indoors.  The  latch  with  a  turned  handle 
and  back  plate  was  a  19th  Century  device,  and  was  attached  by  screws, 
with  its  striker,  and  we  therefore  omit  it. 

The  box  locks  with  a  patent  mark,  very  numerous,  are  omitted  for  the 
same  reason.  There  was  a  good  design  of  a  Pennsylvania  latch  with  long 
twisted  levers  having  flat  enlargements  at  their  ends,  like  half  knobs.  They 
are  on  the  third  story  rooms  of  a  Newburyport  house. 

Early  hardware  was.  in  the  first  designs,  not  made  of  plate  iron,  but 
was  invariably  thinned  at  the  edges  or  ends,  where  less  strength  was 
required. 

Owing  to  the  quality  of  the  iron  used  it  was  more  free  from  rust,  at 
least  in  the  remaining  examples,   than  our  present  iron. 


[  575 


A  SERIES  of  Shutter  Fasteners.  The  modern  bhnd  was  first  used  in  the 
last  decade  of  the  i8th  Century,  in  one  large  old  coast  town.  The  spring 
fastener  on  the  right  was  the  latest  and  poorest  type.  It  continually  got 
out  of  order.  The  others  are  earlier,  operate  by  gravity  and  cannot  go 
wrong.  The  crude  S  fasteners  should  be  compared  with  the  somewhat  later 
design,  390  on  the  next  page.  The  types  at  the  left  are  later  than  the  S  type, 
since  they  are  attached  by  plates. 

The  shutter  was  solid  or  had  a  small  opening,  a  star,  a  clover  leaf,  a  moon 
or  something  of  the  kind  to  prevent  total  darkness  within. 


r 


1-261 


1-2  83 


I-280 


Below  on  the  left  are  three  types  of  spring 
latches  of  iron  with  small  brass  knobs.  They  were 
in  use  in  Portsmouth  in  1760,  and  earlier.  Another 
name  is  the  wishbone  latch,  from  the  shape  of  the 
spring.  The  one  in  the  center  is  shaped  with  some 
attempt  at  artistic  design.  The  attachment  of  the 
strikers  by  nails  is  a  change  from  the  earlier  simpler 
method  of  a  driven  in  striker. 

A  door  having  one  of  these  latches  and  with  HL 
hinges,  all  done  in  black,  presented  an  effective  dis- 
play, especially  if  a  square  bolt  were  added  above, 
and  a  little  removed  from,  the  latch.  These  latches 
were  the  last  stage  of  progress  towards  the  mortised 
spring  latch  with  knob.  These  are  much  less  likely 
to  get  out  of  order  The  passion  for  hiding  con- 
struction was  a  mark  of  declining  taste. 


[576] 


THE  Scrolled  Bolts  were  in  use,  the  large  ones  on  large  outside  doors 
in  Portsmouth. 

352  and  353  are  cupboard  catches  of  rather  dainty  and  very  rare  design. 

360  and  361  are  the  common  slide  bolts,  though  360  with  a  square  section 
is  the  older. 

391  is  a  C  shutter  fastener;  392  is  a  J  fastener,  and  390,  already  mentioned, 
an  S  fastener.  The  last,  in  huge  form,  was  also  used  as  a  chimney  or  brick 
wail  tie,  to  prevent  spreading.  It  is  seen  on  colonial  houses  of  the  late 
period  shortly  after  the  revolution. 

365  is  the  swing  catch  used  in  securing  lattice  casements — a  very  early 
device,  reaching  back  to  the  first  settlement. 


(  577  1 


I-520 


1-522 


1-523 


1578] 


I-509 


I-504 


I-505 


illflfll?* 


I-506 


I-50O 


I-501 


I-502 


I  579] 


ON  page  578  are  shown  the  codfish  weather  vane,  and  the  rooster  vane, 
the  latter  on  the  First  Church,  Springfield.  The  other  examples  were  found 
in  America. 

On  page  579  are  examples  of  door  scrapers.  The  quaintest  and  best  is 
507.  It  was  attached  to  the  wide  outside  base  board  of  the  house.  It  was 
found  in  a  Boston  antique  shop.  505  and  506  were  similarly  attached  but 
are  simpler  models.  509  is  a  Philadelphia  pattern.  On  a  Saugus  double 
step  cut  from  one  stone  is  on  either  side  the  scraper,  503.  The  other  exam- 
ples are  more  commonly  seen.  At  a  time  when  roads  were  nothing  but 
mud,  and  no  rubber  shoes  existed,  scrapers  were  a  necessity  of  civilization. 


All  the  persons  are  very  kind  who  have  assisted  by  affording  the  writer 
opportunity  to  secure  pictures.  Their  names  are  set  forth  at  large  through 
the  volume. 

Among  the  great  number  of  pictures  in  this  volume,  are  a  very  few  which, 
collected  through  many  years,  cannot  be  traced.  The  indulgence  of  the 
owners  of  the  articles  pictured  is  begged  by  the  author.  Nothing  could  be 
farther  from  his  intention  that  to  fail  of  crediting  an  article  to  its  owner. 
Certain  friends  who  have  assisted  in  the  way  of  facts  or  pictures  have 
declined  to  allow  their  names  to  be  mentioned .     They  do  good  deeds  secretly. 

Finally  the  author  begs  a  kindly  judgment  on  his  work,  trusting  it  will 
be  understood  all  has  been  guided  by  fidelity  in  dealing  with  the  work  of 
faithful  artificers  of  the  Pilgrim  Century. 


[580] 


INDEX 


[S8i] 


INDEX 


Alden    House,   John,    bed:   334;    parlor:   450. 

Andirons:  545-547. 

Attic,  Webb  House  :  485  ;  Wentworth-Garden 

House:  535. 
Author,  the :  see  Nutting,  Wallace. 

B 

Barrels:  536,  538. 

Bates,  Albert  C,  bowls  and  utensils:  533, 
537,   538. 

Beds:  322-334,  456,  486. 

Behrend,  B.  A.,  boxes:  104,  105,  107,  no; 
candle-stands:  459,  460,  461,  464,  467; 
chairs,  banister-back:  250 — carved  254, 
Brewster  transition:  188,  Carver:  191, 
194 — reversed  baby:  269,  mushroom:  211, 
trundle:  229;  chests:  19,  25,  31,  on  frame, 
small:  89,  96;  desk:  114;  parlor:  214; 
settle  with  rockers:  310;  stand:  446,  trian- 
gular: 442;  tables,  tavern:  417,  419,  420; 
trestle-board:   343. 

Bellows:  538. 

Betty  lamps:  463,  539,  554. 

Bible-box :  see  box. 

Bigelow,  Francis  Hill,  chairs,  carved  cane: 
247,  248 ;  looking  glasses :  499,  502,  503, 
504,  505,  506,  507,  509,  511,  512,  519; 
sconce  glasses:  506;  sconce  reflectors:  491, 

493- 
Blair,   Mrs.  J.   Insley,   cupboard,   court:    130, 

136;  table,  heavy  tavern:  407. 
Blaney,    Dwight,    box:     100;    chair,    carved 

cane:   267,   heavy,    Pilgrim   slat-back:   203; 

chest:    40,    41,   46;   cupboard,   press:    131; 

stools:  290;  table,  butterfly-trestle:  395. 
Bolts:  540,  577. 

Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  cupboard:  167. 
Boards  and  Trestles:   342. 
Bowls:  531,  532,  533.  537- 
Boxes:  go-iii;   band:   445;   carved:  97-107, 

109;    decorated:    iio;    Friesian;    97,    106, 

109;  carrying:  445;  cocked  hat:  166;  pipe: 

526,  527,    528;    tinder:    527;    wall:    526, 

527,  528,  539- 

Brackets  candles  and  lamps:  see  branches. 


570. 
234. 


459; 
;  236, 

228; 
(low- 


Branches:  556.  557.  559-562,  567,  569 
Brinton,    Francis   D.,    chairs,    five-back: 

Pennsylvania  six-back:  231,  233. 
Broilers:   550. 
Brooklyn    Public    Museum,    cupboard,    press 

126;  spinet :  477. 
Brown,     G.     Winthrop,     candle-stand : 

chair,  banister-back:  265,  carved  cane 

high:     223,      serpentine     slat-back: 

chests :   32,    36,    49 ;   table,    dressing 

boy)  :  425,  gate-leg:   374. 
Brown,  Mrs.  Hulings  Cowperthwaite,  chest : 

42. 
Bryant,    Mrs.    G.   C,   cupboard,   press:    142, 

143;  table,  heavy  tavern:  413. 
Buck,  G.  H.,  I. 


Campbell,  James  N.  H.,  chair,  banister- 
back:  274;  chest:  12,  29;  cupboard,  court: 

133,  137- 

Candle-stands,   iron:   554,   563-565. 

Candle-sticks:   554,   557,   558,    569. 

Chairs:  175-284;  baby  high:  195,  196,  208, 
209,  223,  263,  266,  269,  284;  baby  low: 
198,  217,  269,  276,  277,  278,  279,  280; 
banister-back:  250,  251,  254,  258-265,  268, 
269,  274,  275,  283;  Brewster:  182-185; 
buffet:  272,  274;  candle:  256;  cane:  235- 
249,  252-255,  267;  carved:  234;  Carver: 
189-201;  Charles  H:  235-255;  children's, 
see  baby;  corner  or  bufFet :  272,  273,  274, 
277;  Cromwellian:  218;  Dutch:  277,  282, 
283;  English  scroll-foot:  241,  242,  244; 
leather  back:  219-221,  283;  miscellaneous: 
276;  mushroom:  210-217;  New  England 
turned:  222,  225-228,  230,  256,  257,  268, 
270-273,  275-281;  Pennsylvania:  231-234; 
Pilgrim:  182-207,  217;  late:  208,  slat- 
back:  202,  203-207,  217;  transition:  186, 
188;  rockers,  later:  228;  serpentine:  222; 
roundabout:  272-274;  rush-bottom,  ban- 
ister-back: 259-266;  203,  Spanish-foot: 
240,  248,  251,  252,  253,  254,  258,  262, 
263,  282,  283;  spinning:  275;  Standish, 
Myles:  185;  tables:  336-341;  wainscot: 
175,  181  ;  Windsor;  284;  writing-arm:  281. 


[583] 


Chaise  longue:  293-305. 

Chandeliers:  see  branches. 

Chests,  architectural:  i,  30;  ball-foot:  14,  36- 
38,  40,  42,  45,  49,  50,  51,  54;  bosses  or 
drops  or  applied  spindles,  with:  8,  11,  12, 
13,  15,  16,  23-26,  28,  29,  35,  36,  38-42; 
carved:  1-34;  decorated:  see  painted;  geo- 
metrical: 35-40,  42,  43;  Hadley:  17,  18, 
19,  20,  21,  22;  initialed:  16-22,  26,  30,  35; 
little,  on  frames:  85-96;  name:  18;  painted: 
16,  45,  51-  52,  53,  54,  57;  palm-panel:  10; 
pine,  carved,  board:  31-34 — uncarved:  48- 
51,  56-58;  small,  on  frames,  decorated:  90- 
93,  96;  sunflower:  12,  13,  15,  33;  tulip: 
8,  9,   11;  walnut :  30 ;  whitewood :  47,  52. 

Chests  of  Drawers,  see  also  Highboys:  59-71  ; 
ball-foot:  61,  66,  67,  68,  69;  painted:  62- 
63  ;  pine :  60,  70. 

Churchill  House,  Captain  Charles :  many 
references  under  Seymour,  George  Dudley. 

Churn:  536. 

Clocks:  522,  523,  524. 

Coburn,  Dr.  J.  Milton,  chair,  five-back:  270, 
serpentine,  slat-back:  228;  chest:  14,  of 
drawers:  71;  day-bed:  305;  settle:  306. 

Collector's  "Don'ts":   488. 

CoUings  &  Collings    Brewster:  183. 

Concord,  Antiquarian  Society,  day-bed:  295. 

Connecticut  Historical  Society,  box:   ill. 

Cooper-Austin  House:  534. 

Couches:  293-305. 

Cradles:  314-321;  Fuller,  Dr.  Samuel:  314, 
15;  galleries,  with:  314,  15,  317;  hanging: 
319;  pine:  318,  320;  plant:  321;  wainscot: 
314,  315,  321. 

Cranes:  548. 

Crickets:  285-292. 

Cross-stretcher  furniture:  352. 

Cupboards,  carved  panel:  145,  151,  156; 
court:  124,  125,  130,  133,  134,  138;  denii- 
dome,  plain:  156;  fasteners:  577;  pine:  146, 
147,  149-156,  158,  164,  165,  166,  167-174; 
press:  123,  126,  127,  128,  129,  131,  132, 
136,  137,  I39>  140,  141,  142,  143;  shell 
top;  168,  170,  171,  172,  173;  suspended, 
corner:   165;  sidewall:  160,  165,   166. 


D 


Davidson,   James,   chair,   banister-back:   261; 

highboy:  74. 
Day-beds:  293-305. 

de  Silva,  Paul,  chair,  wainscot:   175,   176. 
Desks:    1 14-122;   pine:    114,    116,    117,    120, 

122;  walnut:   114,   119,   121. 
Dipper,   rush:    551. 
Drawers,  construction  of:  455> 


Dressers:  152,  153,  I55>  I57,  158,  I59>  161, 


163. 


E 


Embroidery  frames:  476. 

Erving,  H.  W.,  boxes:  99,  lOi,  103,  105, 
log;  pipe:  528;  chair,  carved  cane:  235; 
chests:  5,  9,  13,  23,  26,  28,  39,  41,  43,  54; 
desk:  122;  framed  worked  design:  495; 
point  work,  framed:  495;  sparkers:  527; 
stands,  candle  and  lamp :  463 ;  tables,  but- 
terfly: 391,  398,  heavy  tavern,  or  stand: 
408. 

Erving,  Dr.  William  G.,  chest:  7;  day-bed: 
296;  table,  refectory:  351,  heavy  tavern: 
411. 


Faelton,   Reinhold,    estate   of,    day-bed:   294; 

tables,  butterfly:  392,  402. 
Fairbanks   House,   dresser:    157. 
Farr,  Mr.,  trestle-board,  X  end:  344. 
Fastener:    see    Lock;    casement:    577;    lattice 

window:  572;  shutter:  576,  577. 
Finials:  484. 
Fireplaces:    157,    172,    173,    307,    328,    341, 

343,    362,    450,    453,    462,    48,    483,    487, 

521,  534,  535,  547,  570. 
Flynt    L.    C,    clock,    Dutch:    524;    spinning 

jenny,  double:  473. 
Forks:  549,   551. 
Framingham     Rooms     (Wallace     Nutting)  : 

348,  352,  480,  482,  486,  487,  489,  521. 
French,     Hollis,    boxes:     log;    candle-stand: 

464 ;  chair,  high  banister-back,  carved :  263  ; 

day-bed :  299. 
Frizzier:  549. 


Gay,  Martin,  day-bed:  302. 
Goddard,  John,  of  Newport:    112. 
Goodwin,  Wm.  H.,  chest:  2. 

H 

Hinges,  cock's  comb:  541  ;  H,  HL  and  HLL: 

543- 
Hale,  Nathan,  birthplace:  362,  456,  462. 
Halford,   John   H.,   chair,   turned   heart-back: 

224. 
Hanger:  549. 
Hardware:  536,  539-580. 
Harpsichord:  478. 

Hartford  Historical  Society,  great  table:  350. 
Hasps  or  Hooks:  575. 
Hawthorne,      Nathaniel,     chairs     supposedly 

owned  by:  249. 


[584] 


Hazen  Garrison  House,  Haverhill:  323,  327, 

483,  525. 

Henderson,  M.  Mark,  chairs.  New  England 
slat -back:  257;  roundabout:  272;  looking 
glass,  decorated :  494 ;  tongs,  bed  warmer, 
coal :   558. 

Highboys:   73-85. 

Hill,   Mr.,  looking  glass,   marquetry:   501. 

Hinges:  540-544- 

Holconibe,  Mrs.  John  Marshall,  chair,  ban- 
ister back,  carved:  262,  cane,  carved:  254; 
table,  refectory:  353. 

Hour  glasses:  see  Sand  glasses. 

Howard,  Mrs.  Anna  H.,  trestle  stand:  449. 

I 

Iron  Works  House:  322,  328,  343,  437,  547- 
Ives,  George  F.,  beds:  329,  330;  branches: 
556,  557,  560,  562;  candle-stands:  458, 
465,  466;  chair,  Carver:  igo,  baby,  low: 
277,  Pilgrim:  207,  spindle-back,  high:  208, 
table:  339,  transition:  187;  chests:  34,  53, 
57;  cupboard:  154,  166;  day-bed:  293; 
highboy:  79;  lanterns:  556;  settle:  309; 
ship  model:  57;  table,  butterfly:  366,  390, 
corner  gate-leg:  382,  383,  small:  430,  441, 
446;  wagon  seat:  313, 


Jacks:  536,  548. 

Jaffrey  House,  cupboard:  167. 

Jamb  hooks :   549. 

K 

Kas:   148. 

Kettles:   549,    550. 

Knockers  (Iron)  :  573. 

Koopman's,  Boston,  chest:  55;  of  drawers:  60. 


Ladles:  533,  549,  551. 

Lamps:   463,    539,    554-559- 

Lancaster,    Public    Library,    cupboard,    press: 

128,    129. 
Lanterns:  555,  556. 
Latches:  540,  572-576;  wooden,  construction 

of:  455. 
Leete,  Mrs.  E.  B.,  highboy:  84;  sconces:  558. 
Leete,  Governor,  chair,  wainscot:  181. 
Lights,    loom:    559;    rush:    569;    table:    550, 

551,   556,  557.   558,  567-  568,  569. 
Lincoln,      Mrs.      Francis,      chair,      Brewster 

(Myles   Stand ish):   185. 
Littlefield,  C.  C,  wardrobe:  162. 
Locks,   brass  box:   571. 
Long,  Harry,  chest:  38,  of  drawers:  70;  cup- 


board or  corner  dresser:  153;  desk:  115; 
trestle-board :  344. 

Long,  Mrs.  W.  B.  chair,  mushroom:  210,  212. 

Looking  glasses:  490-519. 

Loom,  carpet:  475;  tape:  470. 

Lowboys:  423-428. 

Lyon,  Irving  Whitall,  M.  D.,  Colonial  fur- 
niture: 8,  136. 

M 

McKearin,  Geo.,  chairs,  banister-back:  264, 
268,  273. 

Metropolitan  Museum:  see  Museum. 

Miner,  Dr.,  of  Greenfield:  18. 

Mirrors:  see  Looking  glasses. 

Miscellany:  471. 

Mortars:  532. 

Museum,  Brooklyn  Public:  see  Brooklyn. 

Museum,  Metropolitan,  box,  pipe:  528; 
chests:  35,  45;  cradle:  316;  cupboard, 
court:  138,  paneled:  156,  press:  123;  day- 
beds:  297,  298;  tables,  gate-leg:  367,  368, 
folding  gate-leg:  380,  kitchen:  355,  357, 
tavern,  heavy:  421,  triangular:  440. 

N 

Nails,  in  early  furniture:   iii. 

Nash,  Chauncey  C,  box:  104;  chair,  baby 
low:  276,  Carver:  189,  Pilgrim,  arm:  205 — 
side:  200;  chests:  22,  40,  49,  51  ;  small,  on 
frame:  87;  cradle:  314,  315;  desk:  118; 
highboy :  75  ;  looking  glass :  5 1 5  ;  stand  :  436, 
440,  451;  trestle:  451;  stool  with  drawer: 
287;  table,  dressing  (lowboy):  423,  four- 
gate:  364,  triangular:  440;  wagon  seat: 
312. 

Norton,   Malcolm,   chests:    16,  24. 

Nutting,  Wallace,  beds:  324,  326,  332,  489; 
bellows:  538;  bowls:  531,  532;  boxes:  102, 
108;  chairs,  baby  low:  278,  279,  280, 
banister-backs:  251,  260,  Carved  cane:  244, 
246,  252,  Carver:  192,  195,  197,  198,  199, 
201 — modified:  217;  Cromwellian:  218, 
desk,  high:  222,  high,  sausage-turned  three 
back:  266,  leather  backs:  219,  220,  221, 
mushroom  arm  banister-back:  212,  213, 
215,  217,  mushroom,  slat-back:  213,  New 
England  slat-back:  230,  256,  279,  280,  Pil- 
grim: 204,  206,  217,  rocker,  XVII  Cen- 
tury: 222,  table:  336,  337,  wainscot:  177; 
chests:  3,  lO,  15,  20,  21,  44,  47,  50,  59,  of 
drawers:  61,  62,  63,  64,  65,  small  on  frame: 
95;  clocks:  522,  523;  cradle:  318;  cup- 
boards: 149,  160,  165,  court:  124,  125; 
day-bed:  300;  desk:  117,  121;  hardware: 
539,  540-555,  559,  560-69,  571-579;  high- 
boy: 73,  76,  82;  kas;  148;  looking  glasses: 


[585] 


496.  497.  513.  5i4,  5i6,  518;  reels:  474; 
secretary:  113;  stools:  285,  286,  288; 
spinet:  479;  spinning  wheels:  471;  stands, 
light:  432,  458,  468,  470.  trestle:  448; 
tables,  butterfly:  401,  dressing,  (lowboy): 
426,  428,  folding  (trestle)  gate-leg:  379, 
381,  four  gate:  3^5,  gate-leg:  365,  369, 
373.  375,  377,  379,-381.  386,  library:  358, 
359.  361,  refectory :\  349.  small:  435,  445, 
448,  Spanish-foot  gBte-leg:  373.  tavern: 
405.  406,  410,  415,  416,  418,  422,  tucka- 
way:  377;  utensils:  531,  532,  536,  538,  539. 
Nutting,  Mrs.  Wallace,  bedspread:  333. 


Parmenter,  Josiah,  cupboard,  court;  124,  125. 

Patterson.   Mrs.  F.  Gordon,  chest,  small,  en- 
frame: 93;  table,  kitchen:  354. 

Pauly,  Rudolph  P.,  lanterns:  535;  wagon 
seat:  312. 

Peck,  Miss  Mary  Miles  Lewis,  chest :  47. 

Penns\lvania  furniture:  159,  161,  162,  223, 
229,  231,  232,  233,  234,  278,  303,  304, 
318,  320,  358,  359.  360,  361,  414,  and 
perhaps  others  not  traced. 

Pierson,  Rector,  chair,  wainscot:    179. 

Point  work,  framed:  495. 

Pot-hooks:  551. 

Q 

Quincy  Homestead,  cupboard:  172. 

R 

Reed,  Brooks,  chair,  banister-back,  carved: 
250;  chest:  17,  37,  of  drawers:  67;  stool, 
squab :  29. 

Reels:  474. 

Rhode  Island,  School  of  Design :  see  School  of 
Design. 

Richardson  Tavern:  342,  343. 

Robinson  House,  cupboard  and  paneled  wall: 
164. 

Robinson,   Thomas,   chair,   wainscot:    177. 

Rogers,   Mrs.,  of   Hingham,   day-bed:  301. 

Rooms,  general  views  of:  157,  172,  173,  214, 
295,  307,  322,  323,  326,  327,  328,  331, 
332,  341,  348,  352,  362,  437,  450,  453. 
456,  462,  480,  481,  482,  483,  485,  486, 
487,  489,  521,  525,  534,  535,  549- 

Rowlandson,  the  Rev.  Jos.:  129. 


Sack,  I.,  chair.  New  England  writing:  281; 
chest  of  drawers:  70;  cradle,  Dutch:  320; 
desk:  119,  122;  dresser:  152;  highboy:  85; 
table,  pine  kitchen:  356,  refectory:  346. 


Saltonstall  House,  Ipswich:  481. 

Sand  glasses:  527. 

Scrapers:  579,  581. 

Skimmers:   549,    551. 

School  of  Design,  Rhode  Island,  chest,  small, 

on    frame:    90;    cradle:    317;    desk:    116; 

settle:  311;  tables,  butterfly:  397,  399. 
Schwartz,  Morris:  i,  2. 
Sconce  glasses:  496,  506,  512. 
Sconces,  iron  or  tin:  539,  555,  556.  557,  558, 

559,    560,    561,    562-570;    reflecting:    491, 

493.   557- 

Secretaries:   112,   113. 

Settees:  310,  312,  313. 

Settles:  306-313. 

Seymour,  George  Dudley,  bed:  456;  boxes: 
97,  100,  103,  106,  107,  no;  candle-stands: 
456;  chairs,  banister-back,  carved  arm:  27  = 
— high:  209 — turned:  259;  Carver:  193, 
leather  back:  283,  New  England  five-back: 
271,  rocking:  462;  chests:  4,  8,  14,  27,  45, 
47,  48,  58,  of  drawers:  66,  69;  cupboard, 
court:  141;  stand:  434,  light:  456,  462; 
tables,  butterfly:  396,  gate-leg:  362,  transi- 
tion drawing:  345. 

Shelves,  hanging:   168. 

Shilling,  Pine  Tree:  571. 

Ship  Model:  57. 

Shovel,  iron:  552;  w-ooden :  532,  536. 

Shreve,  Crump  &  Low,  dresser:  163. 

Skewers:  549. 

Slices:  552. 

Snow  shoes:  536. 

SnufTers:   554,   565,   567,   570. 

Spalding,  Philip  L.,  chest:  18;  cupboard, 
press:  132. 

Sparhaw'k  House,  cupboards  :  1 73. 

Sparkers:  527,  556,  557. 

Spinets:  477,  479. 

Spinning  Wheels,  bobbin:  473;  linen:  471, 
473  ;  woolen:  472. 

Spit  rods:  547,  549. 

Stairs:  437,   454. 

Standish,   Myles,  chair:   185. 

Stands:  432-437;  442-447;  451;  candle,  for 
table:  550,  551,  556-558,  567-569;  light: 
451,  452,  456-470;  trestle:  448,  449. 

Staniford,  Mr.  Daniel,  table,  dressing,  stone 
top:  387. 

Stanton  House,  Madison,  cupboard,  press: 
139. 

Stearns,  Henry  S.,  chair,  New  England  five- 
back:  270;  chest:  1 1. 

Stiles,  J.  H.,  chair,  banister-back:  264;  table, 
X  braced  gate-leg:  371. 

Stone  House,  Guilford,  chair,  wainscot:  181; 
chest,  52. 


[586] 


Stools:  277,  280,  285-292,  344. 
Sweet,    Stanley   A.,    chair,   carved    cane:   243, 
253  ;  chest,  30. 


Tables,  butterfly:  389;  communion:  346,  347; 
corner-gate:  382,  383;  dressing:  423-428; 
cross-stretcher:  424-427;  gate-leg:  350, 
362-386,    corner:   382,    383,    folding:    376, 

377,  379-  380,  381,  flat-gate:  371,  381, 
four-gate:  363-365,  Spanish  foot:  373,  split- 
gate;  384,  385,  X-braced:  371  ;  hutch:  436; 
kitchen:  354,  355,  356,  357;  library:  357- 
361;  mixing:  355,  356;  occasional:  423; 
octagon:  435;  refectory:  346-353;  small: 
429-441;  Spanish-foot:  373;  splayed  frame, 
leaf:  438;  split-gate:  384,  385;  stone  top: 

'    387,    388;    tavern:    405-422;    trestle-gate: 

378,  379.  380,  381;  triangular:  439,  440, 
442;  tuck-away:  376,  377. 

Toasters:  549,  550. 

Toddy  iron:  568. 

Tongs:    552;    bed-warmer,    coal:    558;    pipe: 

528,   551,  553. 
Torch  holders:  568. 
Tormentors:  549. 
Trammels:  551. 
Traver,   Miss  C.   M.,   chest,  small  on   frame: 

89;  stool:  292. 
Trestle-boards:  343-344. 
Trivets:  550. 
Tufts,   John,   chair, 
Turning  specimens: 

etc.). 


Brewster:    182. 

484   (finials)  :  530   (legs. 


u 


Utensils:  526. 


V 


Vanes,   weather:   579. 

W 

W.,  Mr.  of  Boston,  candle  stands,  iron:  554; 
chairs,    carved    cane:    238,    239,    240,    241, 


242,  245,  249,  Dutch :  282,  turned  Ameri- 
can Dutch:  229;  chest:  56;  cupboard:  146, 
147,  151;  day-bed:  303;  desk:  120;  em- 
broidery frame:  476;  highboy:  81,  83; 
stands:  432,  433,  443,  444;  tables,  dressing, 
(lowboy)  :  427;  small:  429,  43i,  432,  433, 
443,  444;  wardrobe:  145. 

Waflle  irons:  554. 

Wagon  seats:   312,   313. 

Wall  decoration :  454. 

"Walnut,  The  Age  of":  140. 

Wardrobe:    145,    162. 

Warner  House:  454. 

Way  Side  Inn,  chest,  small,  on  frame:  86,  88. 

Weaving:  475. 

Webb  House:  156,  170,  171,  331,  341. 

Weil,  Henry  V.,  candle-stands:  461,  463, 
469 ;  chair,  Dutch  ram's  horn  arm :  283 ; 
chest  of  drawers:  66;  stand,  adjustable: 
451,  splay-leg:  447. 

Welch,  Mrs.  Lewis  Sheldon,  table,  four-gate: 

363. 

Wellington,  Arthur  W.,  boxes:  loi,  pipe, 
wall,  and  sand:  527;  chairs,  courting:  273, 
mushroom:  216,  New  England  five-back: 
268,  round-about:  274,  slat-backs,  side: 
225;  chest:  51,  small  on  frame:  91;  cup- 
board base:  146;  cupboard,  press:  135; 
dresser:   161. 

Wentworlh,  Benning,  House,  corner  cup- 
board  and   dresser:    158;   harpsichord,   478. 

VVentworth-Gardner  House,  attic:  535. 

Wethersfield,  Webb-Welles  House:  341,  331. 

Whipple  House,  Ipswich:  481. 

Williams   House,   cupboards:    168. 

Worcester  Antiquarian  Society,  chair,  Brew- 
ster high:   196;  table,  stone  top:  387. 

Y 

Yale  Universit)',  chair,  wainscot:  179;  cup- 
board, press  127. 

York  Jail,  Museum  of,  bed:  325;  fireplace: 
570. 


[587] 


66   ^ 


/ 


.fJW'FACmr, 


000  190  109 


Uis- 


^ 


